Question
I have a 12 year old high functioning, verbal Autistic 6th grade student who has been on my caseload this year. I've been working on addressing the IEP goal of identifying and expressing emotions such as anger, confusion, depression using a chart, etc. B
Answer
I would agree that goal planning for the past year might've had the sights set a bit too high. Unfortunately, there aren't a large number of assessment tools (especially if you're looking for something standardized) for the area of social-pragmatic functioning. Many tools merely attempt to diagnose the presence or absence of a social-pragmatic disorder, but won't assist you with IEP goal planning. However, if you need something standardized, take a look at the Endere-Severson Transition Rating Scale for Adolescents. If an informal tool is sufficient, I have found many useful instruments included with intervention resources. Many instructional guides have rating scales, checklists, and inventories that can narrow your focus and help you break skills down into discrete behaviors and judge them across particular contexts. Some of my favorites include Social Skills Strategies Books A and B (Mayo, Gajewski, and Hirn) and Navigating the Social World (McAfee). One thing to keep in mind as you attempt to facilitate progress for this student is the notion of moving away from verbal messages and responses. If you're right about the suggestion that he is "high functioning" you may need to use visual messages to get things started. This doesn't mean he'll be nonverbal, but often minimizing verbal input and demands of verbal output can help these individuals open up, express themselves more, and take in information. Good luck!
Angela Sterling-Orth, M.S., CCC-SLP
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Chippewa Falls, WI
