Abstract:

The purpose of this research, to determine the effectiveness of the family education program for teaching a leisure time skill to individuals who have ASD and intellectual disability. The research was planned with the multiple probe design across participants which is one of the single subject research methods. Three mothers and their children who diagnosed with ASD participated in the study. The age range of the mother participants is 26-41. Two of the child participants are boys and one of them is girl and their age range is between 9-11 years. Dependent variable is the level of individuals with special needs’ learning the ability to cut paper with scissors. The independent variable of the research is Family Education Program for Teaching Leisure Skills (LEP). The family education program is planned as three sessions both as Home Based and Institutional / School Based Family Education Programs. In this program, which is carried out both at home and in school, a booklet was created for parents for the skill of cutting with scissors. The prepared book consists of three chapters. According to the findings obtained as a result of the research, students gained the skill of cutting with scissors. The monitoring data of the research showed that the skill gained was preserved. In addition, parents used the method of increasing the hint gradually, appropriately and reliably. This shows that the least to most prompting method can be used safely and effectively by families as well as professionals with a planned and comprehensive training. According to the social validity data, the parents expressed their satisfaction for participating in the family education program and being able to give their children this skill. According to these findings, LEP has been found effective in teaching a leisure skill to children who have ASD and intellectual disability.

Keywords: