Effects of Task Organization on the Independent Play of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of task organization, a component of Structured Teaching developed by Division TEACCH, on the independent play of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). On-task behavior, task accuracy, task performance and teacher prompting were measured across independent play sessions in the classroom. An ABAB design was implemented to evaluate the effects of task organization on the independent play skills of two young children with ASD. Results regarding on-task behavior, task accuracy and independence were variable and are discussed. The implications of findings on the use of task organization for increasing independence in children with ASD are discussed.