Annie is self-regulated and READY to engage for about half of her pre-school day. At home, Annie has more options to help her regulate and less need to be on a specific schedule; therefore, she is regulated a bit more of the time. When regulated, Annie looks toward people with interest yet often does not make eye contact. Her body is calm and she appears to be aware of where she is and how she is moving through space. At these moments, Annie is in control of her emotions, not too frustrated, mad or sad, and not too happy. She might be making noises and moving rhythmically; this appears to help her maintain her regulated state. This is what self-regulation looks like for Annie and when she is in her best place to engage.
It is helpful to consider what types of sensory input (tactile/touch, auditory/sound, visual/sight, olfactory/smell, gustatory/taste, vestibular/movement, proprioception/position) can support an individual’s self-regulation and what type of input can help a person remain regulated throughout a social interaction (Laurel & Williams, 2014; Williams & Shellenberger, 1996). Ayres (1979) stated, “When the whole body and all of the senses work together as a whole, adaption and learning are easy for the brain” (p. 37). More than 30 years later, discussing young children with ASD, Tomchek, Little, and Dunn (2015) stated, “Children’s sensory processing patterns affect a child’s ability to sustain active engagement in activities that provide social communication opportunities” (p. 6). Clearly, being READY is critical to learning any skill, including “being social.”
Questions to consider when trying to help an individual maintain self-regulation include:
What type of sensory input is coming into a person’s system in this particular social environment?
Does there seem to be too much input or too little input?
Is there a way to adapt or modify the type of input coming in?
What type of sensory input is the person seeking?
Does that sensory input support the person to be calm, alert, and READY?
ONLY when self-regulated can one begin to share space to pursue a positive social interaction.
ENGAGEMENT
Shared Space: A Place to Be Together
This component of the FOUNDATION is defined as being in proximity to another person. As we grow and develop our social skills, we can “share space” over longer distances and even remotely, for example, by phone or text. However, for the purposes of our discussion, it is critical that we begin by thinking about an individual’s ability to be close to a communication partner, often within less than five feet. New learners need to be close enough to understand how to share focus and pleasure. Being aware of the space between ourselves and the person we are hoping to engage is extremely important (Richter & Oetter, 1990).
Guiding questions as you begin to think about places to share space include:
In what settings is this person comfortable?
What proximity to others does this person currently prefer?
How can you visually define the space to help this person understand what is expected?
How will you limit or organize materials within the space to encourage ENGAGEMENT?
Within a shared space, we can begin to be attentive together.
When Annie is regulated, the space she is comfortable sharing is quite close, often within three feet. She seems to notice objects in her peripheral field, but she responds best to other people who seek ENGAGEMENT when they are visually in front of her. During facilitated social interactions, Annie needs three-dimensional boundaries, with the space visually defined using furniture, walls, or people’s bodies. Success requires carefully timing the entrance and exit into and out of this space, which continues to be in the three- to five-foot radius. Limiting the materials of interest in this space and using materials with a definite purpose appear to support Annie to share the space, at moments when she is regulated, for more and more of her pre-school day and at home. Her skilled partner must share in Annie’s space and then present a highly motivating item for shared focus to support ENGAGEMENT.
ENGAGEMENT
Shared Focus: A Reason to Be Together
Shared focus is defined simply as two people paying attention to the same thing at the same time. Initially, we work to understand the interests of individuals with ASD and to promote shared focus using items and activities that excite them as they do the hard work of being together. Perhaps you did not imagine engaging quite so much about dinosaurs, cars, or even coat hangers or plumbing! However, we understand how crucial it is to reinforce the beginning steps of sharing these interests with another person.
Guiding questions as you begin to share focus include:
What is the person most interested in doing (e.g., objects, topics, movement)?
Does the person try to bring your attention to something he or she likes and, if so, what action is taken to accomplish that?
Are you able to bring the person’s attention to something you select?
How long can you share focus together?
Now that we are on the same topic, we can begin having fun together.
As Annie continues to stay regulated and READY to engage, she shares space and then focus with a skilled partner. The focus needs to be a tangible item that is of interest to Annie and one with a purpose or function. Annie needs to be able to easily understand what she is supposed to do with this item. Initially, hand-over-hand teaching is used with physical prompts to complete a visually structured task. For Annie, this is a “put on” or “put in” task that is durable and smooth to the touch. Her communication partner brings her attention to the pieces using exaggerated movements and helps orient her body to the activity. Four to seven pieces (e.g., blocks, rings, and tubes) may go into or on a stationary container (e.g., box, cone, bucket, and tube with a lid). The pieces of the task are structured so that Annie sees that the task will not go on forever, but rather has a clear end. Providing Annie with objects of high interest to hold in her hands, intermittently throughout the activity, increases the likelihood that she will share the focus again. Ideally, Annie will share the focus more frequently and for longer periods of time, thus increasing her ENGAGEMENT and teaching her that ENGAGEMENT with the people around her can have meaning and provide pleasure.
ENGAGEMENT
Shared Pleasure: Enjoying the Moment Together
Finally, the moment cannot be defined as ENGAGEMENT if there is no shared pleasure or enjoyment of the moment together. It is essential to be aware that each person shows pleasure in his own way, and for our learners with ASD, it can require careful observation to determine these cues. Prizant, Wetherby, Rubin, Laurent, and Rydell (2006) described social competence as “communication and playing with others in everyday activities and sharing joy and pleasure in social relationships” (p. 3).
We understand