The Effect of an Apple Watch® on the Social Initiations of High-functioning, Adolescents with Autism

Abstract

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience skill deficits when interacting with typical peers, which can inhibit their ability to form friendships and participate in inclusive educational settings. In the current study, the researcher evaluated the effects of delivering textual prompts using an Apple Watch® to increase appropriate social initiations of students with high-functioning ASD in a clinical setting in the presence of typical peers. A single-case, multiple baseline design was used to evaluate students’ frequency of appropriate social initiations with and without the intervention. In addition, the researcher incorporated script fading and a discriminative stimulus (emoji) to evaluate whether these interventions led to the creation of novel statements and produced generality of responding by the participants. The results showed that the intervention was effective at increasing appropriate and independent social initiations and led to the creation of novel phrases by the participants. This research extends the previous research on the use of the Apple Watch® as an effective social skills intervention. Limitations and areas of future research are discussed.