Using multimedia social stories to increase appropriate social engagement in young children with autism

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the multimedia social stories on the duration of appropriate social engagement of 3 young children with autism. Using a multiple-baseline-across-participants design, the multimedia social stories were implemented, and observations of 10-min play sessions were conducted three times per week. Study results showed an increase in the duration of appropriate social engagement for all participants and two participants also showed generalization to a classroom setting. The results from the study provide support for the use of the multimedia social stories without additional behavioral management techniques in increasing the social engagement of children with autism. Recommendations for future research and potential benefits of the multimedia social story interventions are discussed.