Teaching social skills to children with autism spectrum disorders using tiers of support: A guide for school‐based professionals

The quintessential characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is having difficulty with basic social interactions. Due to the pervasiveness of their social skills difficulties, it is necessary that supports for increasing social skills of children with ASD are included as part of the educational plan within schools. The purpose of this article is to provide educators with a framework for using multiple tiers of instruction to teach social skills to children with ASD. Specifically, a number of evidence‐based strategies for teaching social skills are summarized within a systemic, multitiered approach. It is anticipated that such a model proves helpful as educators address issues related to service delivery provisions for students with ASD.