Running head: AUSTIM AND EARLY SOCIALIZATION

Autism and Early Socialization

Bailie M. Guidry
Our Lady of the Lake College

AUTISM AND EARLY SOCIALIZATION

Autism and Early Socialization

Opening Statement
Austin Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is becoming more prevalent in the United States
school age population. Although there are varying opinions and a significant amount of
research on the causes of autism, there is less research on how public health practitioners
can help those with ASD better function. This studys author is interest in how
practitioners can help patients that already have autism, particularly with communication
skills. Children with ASD often have receptive and expressive communication deficits
that interfere with how they communicate on a daily basis. Since ASD is a spectrum
disorder, the amount of impairment varies greatly between children with ASD. These
communication deficits prevent children from interacting with their peers as other
children without ASD do. Communication with peers is essential for a childs growth and
development, particularly in language.
Background of the Study
There are some studies on various aspects of social interaction amongst kids with ASD.
Almuhiri et al. (2014) conducted a study that observed how video modeling impacted
social skills in kids with autism. The study found that after exposing children to a video
modeling a certain behavior the kids were able to reenact this behavior. This could be
useful for teaching kids with ASD certain classroom behaviors. Corbettm et al. (2014)
conducted a study on cortisol levels in kids with ASD during free play and facilitated
play. The researchers (2014) found that kids with ASD tend to have higher cortisol levels
during social interaction than their non-ASD peers, and have higher levels during
facilitated play. Often during free play kids with ASD preferred to play alone, whereas

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during facilitated play they had to interact with their other peers. This contributes to the
current research on how stressful social interactions can be to those with ASD. Im and Ke
(2013) studied the use of Internet based virtual reality and how it helps those with ASD
learn and interact in the real world. The study did help kids with ASD better understand
social interactions, but they had trouble converting those skills into real-world
interaction. Beutel (2015) examined the social interaction between autistic high school
students and their non-autistic peers during lunchtime. This study showed that having
mainstream interaction with their peers could increase their speech and communication
with their non-ASD peers.
The family unit is also an important part of a childs progression. It is important to have a
supportive, understanding family unit so that the child can progress as much as they can.
Jorgenson et al. (2015) studied how having an autistic child impacted parents feelings
about having more children. Many parents who only had the one child with ASD said that
they would have more, but those with two or more children already said they would not.
Kids with ASD are often very involved with behavioral therapy, speech therapy, and
occupational therapy, which can often cause the parent to have to focus more of their
attention on that child (2015).
Although there is a good deal of research involving ASD, there are still some gaps in the
literature. The researcher was not able to find any information on early socialization and
how it affects those with autism later in life. This could be because autism is not usually
diagnosed until age 3-4 years. New research on early socialization techniques is not only
important for the child with ASD, but also important for the parents. It is often hard for

AUTISM AND EARLY SOCIALIZATION

parents to not be able to understand what their child wants. It is also frustrating for the
child with ASD to not be able to communicate what they want or need.
Research Question and Hypotheses
To address the gapes noted in the literature review, the researcher will conduct a study
which compares children with ASD that were in a formalized daycare or learning setting
by age 3 compared to those that were not. The study will be a non-experimental study, as
it is nearly impossible to pick cases and controls since my point of interest is those with
ASD. This will be a retrospective cohort study. The studys research question is as
follows: Is there a statistically significant relationship between formal socialization, age,
and advanced communication skills in children with autism? The studys null hypothesis
is that there is no statistically significant relationship between formal socialization, age,
and advanced communication skills in children with autism, and the studys alternative
hypothesis is that there is a statistically significant relationship between formal
socialization, age, and advanced communication skills in children with autism. In this
study, formalized learning will be defined as places such as day cares, home daycare
centers, or head start programs that provide education to the children. Nonformalized
learning will be defined as places where formal education is not provided (ex: babysitters
or stay-at-home moms). To participate in this study, the child must have an ASD
diagnosis by a certified psychiatrist or their medical doctor. The participants should also
be enrolled in special education classes, or should be in the process of mainstreaming.
Methodology
The studys population will include all 12 year old children in the St. Charles Parish
school system with an ASD diagnosis that have consent to participate. The sample size

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will include those that are given permission to participate by their parents. The strategy is
to use one geographic area and one school system to get a more narrow sample. The
researcher will use the Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd Edition, which will be completed
by the childs parents and teachers as an objective measurement of their social
responsiveness level. The researcher will compare the scores of those that received earlyformalized education to those that did not. The researcher will calculate the mean for the
ages that the participants began daycare or a formalized setting and the mean of their test
scores. The researcher will then use Pearsons Correlation Coefficient calculation to
determine if the two variables are correlated.
Limitations
Potential limitations of this study include threats to validity due to the small sample size
and limited geographic area, since these participants are only from one school district.
The researcher will not be able to assess public vs. private schools, or the quality of the
early education the participants received. Other factors that can contribute to a childs
social responsiveness also include previous therapies and current therapies being
received. The researcher will record these factors as references to potential contributors to
a childs social responsiveness.
Ethical Concerns
Ethical concerns include the childs inability to legally, and possibly competently, to
consent to the study. To address this issue, the researcher will host a meeting with the
participants parents and teachers to explain all aspects of the study. Those parents that
agree to allow their child to participate will sign an informed consent form for their
childs participation in the study, as well as the release of previous medical information.

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The researcher will also have the parents and teachers sign a form saying the past
information they provide will be truthful and to the best of their ability to remember. The
researcher will ensure the participants privacy by assigning each participant a random
number as their identifier, rather than using their name.
Significance of the Study
This study will be significant for future research on the contribution of early socialization
on child with ASDs social skills. Should this study reveal significant findings, it would
be meaningful for healthcare administrators as advocates. Healthcare administrators can
create programs and teaching tools on the importance of early socialization for kids with
ASD.

AUTISM AND EARLY SOCIALIZATION

References
Almuhiri, O., Alzyoudi, M.,& AbedAlziz, S. (2014). The impact of video modeling on
improving social skills in children with autism. British Journal of Special
Education, 42, 54-68. doi: 10.1111/1467-8578.12057
Beutel, K., Carter, E., Gustafson, J., Harvey, M., & Hochman, J. (2015). Efficacy of peer
networks to increase social connections among high school students with and
without autism spectrum disorder. Exceptional Children, 82(1), 96-116. doi:
10.1177/0014402915585482
Corbettm B., Edgerton, D., Newsom, C., Song, Y., Swain, P., & Wang, L. (2014).
Biobehavioral profiles of arousal and social motivation in autism spectrum
disorders. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55(8), 924-934.
doi:10.1111/jcpp.12184
Im, T.& Ke. F. (2013). Virtual-reality-based social interaction training for children with
high-functioning autism. The Journal of Educational Research, 106, 441-461.
doi:10.1080/00220671.2013.832999
Jorgenson, A., Navot, N., Stoep, A., Toth, K., & Webb, S. (2015). Family planning and
family vision in mothers after diagnosis of a child with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism, 1-11. doi: 10.1177/1362361315602134