CAS Social Skills Development Competency 3

Question 1

A CAS specialist notices a student consistently uses a flat affect and avoids eye contact during peer conversations. The MOST appropriate first step is to:

Accepted Answer

Conduct a functional assessment to determine the context and function of the behavior

Answer

Immediately implement an eye contact shaping program

Answer

Remove the student from group social skills instruction

Answer

Refer the student for medication evaluation

Question 2

Research consistently shows that social skills interventions for individuals with ASD are MOST effective when they include:

Accepted Answer

Skill instruction combined with structured opportunities to practice with peers

Answer

Instruction delivered exclusively in one-to-one clinical settings

Answer

Intensive focus on compliance and behavioral control alone

Answer

Sole reliance on incidental teaching in unstructured environments

Question 3

The term 'perspective-taking' in autism social skills training refers to the ability to:

Accepted Answer

Understand how another person might think, feel, or perceive a situation

Answer

Visually identify where objects are placed in relation to others

Answer

Change one's behavioral approach across different environments

Answer

Identify multiple solutions to a social problem

Question 4

Which of the following BEST describes a 'social script' as a teaching strategy (distinct from echolalic scripting)?

Accepted Answer

A pre-written conversational template taught to individuals with ASD to initiate or maintain interactions

Answer

A punishment procedure for scripting behaviors

Answer

A behavioral contract for use in inclusive classrooms

Answer

An assessment tool to measure social skill deficits

Question 5

Which factor most threatens the long-term maintenance of newly acquired social skills in individuals with ASD?

Accepted Answer

Failure to embed practice in natural environments and routines

Answer

Using multiple trainers during initial instruction

Answer

Beginning instruction too early in development

Answer

Teaching more than one skill at a time

Question 6

A student with ASD frequently interrupts others and stands too close during conversations. The CAS specialist should address these as:

Accepted Answer

Hidden curriculum deficits requiring explicit, structured instruction

Answer

Intentional attention-seeking behaviors requiring punishment

Answer

Sensory processing issues unrelated to social skills

Answer

Symptoms that resolve naturally with age

Question 7

When planning social skills instruction for a student with ASD, the IEP team should FIRST prioritize goals based on:

Accepted Answer

The skills that are most developmentally foundational and functional in the student's natural environments

Answer

The skills that are easiest for the student to acquire quickly

Answer

The skills covered in the selected published curriculum

Answer

The skills the student's teacher finds easiest to measure