Assessment and Intervention Protocol for Improving Figure-Copying Competence of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder with Weak Central Coherence

Abstract

The process of copying figures with a pencil, crayon, or similar tool is a fun activity for young children, enabling them to express their ideas and learn about the world. While copying skills typically emerge in first and second grades, some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle to copy the whole form of figures, producing a fragmented final product. In this article, we propose an intervention protocol for children with ASD who possess a detail-focused cognitive style (weak central coherence) that restricts their skills to see and copy complete drawings. Employing these children's unique cognitive style, we propose intervention principles to develop visual searching skills. Visual searching skills allow children to see all components in a picture and to understand the relationships between all components. Once children learn how to search drawings thoroughly, they can analyze the components of a new figure and copy it more accurately.

Keywords:

• Weak central coherence
• contextual cueing
• positive feedback

Acknowledgments

This article was completed as part of the first author's requirements for the degree of master of arts in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University.