The Social Skills Picture Book. Jed Baker

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      The benefits of visual aids to facilitate greater understanding and comprehension among autistic students have been well

      documented (e.g., Quill, 1995). Even most students without disabilities benefit from visual aids that back up a verbal explanation.

      This is because visual pictures can (a) make abstract verbal concepts more concrete, (b) remain stable over time whereas auditory

      information can be missed as students’ attention fluctuates, and (c) provide a more powerful means to engage attention.

      The Social Skills Picture Books use a primarily visual strategy to teach social skills. Although the picture books may benefit

      “typical” students, they will be particularly helpful for those with auditory/language processing difficulties, difficulties in abstract

      thinking, and for those with difficulties sustaining attention. This includes individuals on the autistic spectrum, those with Attention

      Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, and individuals with learning disabilities.

      When it comes to teaching social skills, pictures present another advantage over traditional verbal explanations. Pictures

      allow one to depict and highlight the nonverbal social cues that many individuals on the spectrum may not intuitively understand.

      For example, facial expressions, gestures, eye-contact, and body posture that correspond to different feelings and attitudes can be

      presented visually in a way that verbal explanation cannot convey. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

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      About Social Skills Picture Books

      What Are Social Skills Picture Books?

      The Social Skills Picture Books depict, step by step, teens demonstrating various social skills. The books are like cartoon strips,

      yet they are composed of digital pictures of actual students combined with text and cartoon bubbles to denote what the students are

      saying as they engage in the skills. The pictures show, for each step of a skill, the right way (and sometimes the wrong way) to act,

      along with accompanying text that explains what to do.

      As described earlier, the picture books attempt to compensate for the inherent difficulties many autistic individuals share. The

      picture books make explicit what to do and say in social situations. In addition, by utilizing a picture format, they compensate for

      language processing difficulties and distractibility, making abstract concepts more concrete and stable.

      Reading the picture books is not a substitute for actually practicing the skills. The picture books are tools to use in the initial

      acquisition of skills and should be followed with actual practice of the skills in the situations in which they are needed. If the goal is

      for a student to demonstrate a skill in a particular situation, then ultimately the student will need to repeatedly practice that skill in that

      situation. However, before students can physically practice a skill, they need some understanding of what to do. The picture books can

      facilitate that initial understanding.

      The reason one performs a skill is often because it achieves a desired outcome. The picture books help individuals visualize (a) the

      positive outcomes of performing a skill and (b) how people think and feel in response to their behaviors.

      Who Should Use Picture Books?

      The picture books will benefit most “typical” students by engaging attention and breaking down abstract skills into more concrete

      steps. It will be particularly helpful for those who have difficulties with auditory/language processing, abstract thinking, and sustaining

      attention. This includes individuals on the autistic spectrum as well as those with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders and/or

      multiple learning disabilities.

      How to Use the Picture Books

      Using the picture books involves the four stages described below: (1) initial instruction, (2) role-playing the skill, (3) reviewing the

      skill steps with corrective feedback, and (4) generalization. The first three stages can be repeated many times, such that one could

      go back to stage 1 after stage 3. These stages are quite similar to the stages of “structured learning,” described by Goldstein and

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      colleagues in their “skills streaming” series (McGinnis & Goldstein, 1997). Structured learning contains four components: didactic

      instruction (explanation of the skill steps), modeling, role-playing with feedback, and practice for generalization. The difference is that

      didactic instruction and modeling stages are replaced by using the picture books. Thus there is less reliance on verbal instruction and

      instructor modeling.

      Initial Instruction