Date of Award

5-1-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Communication Sciences & Disorders

First Advisor

Tonya Bergeson

Second Advisor

Sofia Souto

Abstract

This study examined how different practitioners, such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, and psychologists, integrate social communication goals into their daily sessions when working with school-aged children. An online survey was sent out to practitioners in Midwestern cities in the United States to assess their opinions on implementation, execution, and usage of social communication in therapy or class sessions. The survey also outlined the six principles of social communication as described by Fujiki and Brinton (2000), and asked the participants to rank these principles in how challenging they are to implement into their sessions. The purpose of this study was to ultimately observe how frequently different practitioners use social communication intervention when working with school-aged children, along with understanding any facilitators and barriers to acting in accordance with the principles from Fujiki and Brinton’s study. The results of this study demonstrated the desires practitioners have to utilize more collaborative and interactive interventions when working with children with social communication challenges, along with the necessity for more resources and time to be dedicated to this particular field.

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