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Date of Graduation
5-14-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
First Advisor
Trevor Stokes
Second Advisor
Daniel Holt
Third Advisor
Bryan Saville
Abstract
Social Stories ™ are interventions commonly used to target skill deficits or behavior
reduction goals for children with Autism. Most Social Story research has focused on English
speaking children with relatively advanced language abilities, limiting evidence for efficacy
with Spanish-speaking populations with lower language abilities. Some research has
demonstrated that modifying the format of a Social Story to a video format is effective at
extending the effectiveness to populations with lower language abilities. The purpose of
this study was to examine the effects of Bilingual, video-modified Social Stories on skill
acquisition and behavior reduction targets for Spanish-speaking children with ASD and low
language abilities. A multiple-probe single-case experimental design across behaviors was
used with a 7 year old boy with a diagnosis of Autism, documented linguistic deficits, and
who came from a Spanish-speaking household. Individualized Social Stories were
developed using the guidelines established by Carol Gray, and were modified into a video
format, with bilingual narration. The intervention was delivered prior to structured
sessions, during which target behaviors were measured across academic, play, and social
greeting contexts. Dependent variables included the skill acquisition targets of responding
to a social greeting and reading comprehension, as well as a behavior reduction target of
mouthing. Data were measured with frequency for mouthing, percentage correct for
reading comprehension, and a prompt-level point system for social greeting responses. The
intervention showed variable and moderate effects on target behaviors, with some
improvement observed following intervention, though the magnitude and consistency of
change varied across behaviors.
