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Ozean Journal of Social Sciences 2(3), 2009capabilities of autistic children, and probable physiological correlation. Implications for treatment areconsidered.The following recommendations can be put forward to increase the generalization and maintenance ofthe study. According to the studies of Shabani; Katz; Wilder; Beauchamp; Taylor & Fisher(2002) aboutIncreasing social initiation with autism: effects of a tactile prompt, an ABAB design was used to assessthe effects of tactile prompting device as a prompt for the social initiations of 3 children with autismduring free-play activities with typical developing peers. The results indicated that the tactile prompt waseffective in increasing verbal initiations for all three children, and responses to peers‟ initiations werehigher for two participants when the tactile prompt was used. Efforts to reduce the frequency of promptwhile still maintaining rates of initiations were partially successful for one participant(Shabani, Katz,Wilder, Beauchamp, Taylor & Fishe, 2002).In the other study about teaching a student with autism to make verbal initiations: effect of tactileprompt, Taylor and Levin (1998) found that the effects of tactile prompting device as a prompt for astudent with autism to make verbal initiations about his play activities. A multiphase multielementdesign was used to assess the effects of the device in prompting initiations toward an adult three differentplay contexts. Follow- up probes were conducted during cooperative learning activities with typicallydeveloping peers in the student‟s regular education class. The results suggest that the device serves as aneffective, unobtrusive prompt for verbal initiations during play contexts and during cooperative learningactivities (Taylor & Levin; 1998).The studies of Case-Smith and Bryan about using single subject design, the effects of an occupationaltherapy intervention emphasizing sensory integration with five preschool children with autism wereexamined. When baseline and intervention phases were compared, four children demonstrated decreasedfrequency of no engaged behavior, and three demonstrated increased frequency of mastery (goaldirected)play. Improvements in frequency of interaction were minimal. The results support descriptionsin the literature regarding the behavioral changes that children with autism can make when participatingin intervention using a sensory integration approach (Case-Smith & Brayn, 1999).The other study carriedout by Linderman and Stewart; This single-subject study explored the effects of sensory integrativebasedoccupational therapy provided in an outpatient clinic on the functional behavior of two childrenwith pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) at home. In this result both participants displayedsignificant improvements in the areas of social interaction, approaching new activities, responding toactivities and conversation. On one hand decreases were noted in the frequency and duration ofdisruptive behavior (e.g., high activity, aggressive behaviors), and on the other hand an increase infunctional behaviors was observed, such as spontaneous speech, purposeful play, and attention toactivities and conversation. These findings support the application of sensory integrative-basedoccupational therapy as a part of the services provided to some children with PDD (Linderman &Stewart, 1999). These findings are similar to our study results.Various instruction methods can be used to teach tactile perception skills to autistic children. In addition,tools facilitating the instructions of these concepts can be developed, and they can be presented to theinstructors working with autistic children. In order to increase the generalization of the study, the samestudy can be redesigned with various subjects, in a different atmosphere, and by utilizing differentinstruction methods.REFERENCESAmerican Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.4th ed.Washington, DC: AuthorAyres, A. J. & Tickle, L. S (1980). Hyper-responsivity to touch and vestibular stimuli as a predictor ofpositive response to sensory integration procedures by autistic children. American JournalOccupational Therapy 34(6), 375-81.Ayres, A. J. (1989) Sensory integration and praxis tests. Los Angles: Western Psychological Services.165