Preparation of an Activity Schedule Involving Leisure Time Activities and Teaching of On-Schedule by a Mother with an Adolescent with ASD

Author : Aysun Çolak -- Özlem Dalgın Eyiip - Yasemin Ergenekon
Number of pages : 207-222

Abstract

Individuals with normal development can carry out leisure activities independently out of their school, business and daily life activities in line with their own desires and preferences, while those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty carrying out and participating in such activities independently. In this respect, the present study aims (a) to determine the effectiveness of a family training package on teaching a mother with an adolescent with ASD - who is in the period of transition to adulthood – how to prepare and follow an activity schedule and (b) to help an adolescent with ASD learn how to follow that activity schedule including photos and leisure time activities via the instructional process provided by the mother. In the present study, the participants were an adolescent with ASD and his mother. The study was carried out in the family’s own house. In the study, the AB model, one of single-subject research methods, was used. The results of the study revealed that the family training package developed was influential on the mother’s preparation and teaching of the activity schedule; that the instructional process conducted by the mother was influential on the adolescent’s development of the on-schedule skill involving the leisure time activities; that the adolescent participating in the study maintained this skill one, two and four weeks after the end of the instructional process; and that the adolescent managed to generalize this ability over different environments. In addition, in terms of social validity findings, it was found that the mother had positive opinions both about the instructional process provided for her and about the teaching process she provided for her child. For future studies, family training packages could be spread for the purpose of making family members efficient in preparing and presenting activity schedules for their ASD-diagnosed children.

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder, leisure time activities, activity schedule, family training

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