The Teaching Interaction Procedure and Behavioral Skills Training for Individuals Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review and Commentary

Teaching social behaviors and other pro-social skills is an important component of intervention for individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Today, there are several procedures which are being implemented clinically and evaluated empirically to improve the overall social behaviors of individuals diagnosed with ASD. Two of these procedures are the teaching interaction procedure (TIP) and behavioral skills training (BST). In this paper, we describe both TIP and BST, provide the historical context of each of these procedures, highlight the differences of the two procedures, review and analyze the empirical evidence of the two procedures, and provide recommendations to clinicians, future researchers, parents, and other professionals. The paper is both an analysis of the current literature of the two procedures and commentary based upon our clinical experience working in research settings and various clinical settings.