Where does the TASS guide me?

Is this the right intervention choice?

It is essential that the assessor considers whether social skills intervention is the right intervention for the person at this time. There are three main areas to consider: the person’s voice, motivation and underlying reasons for the behaviour.

The person’s voice – it is firstly essential to listen to the person and to key people in their lives to help you make this decision. Who is referring? Why are they being assessed? Does the person themselves want support? How do they view their challenges? How do they talk about themselves and their life? The key pieces of information within the assessment which will support this are the self-rating scale, the priority ratings, and the long-term goal.

Motivation – linked to the above, it is also essential that the assessor considers motivation. Does the person want to work on social communication? If not, what are their reasons for this? The authors would not work with someone if they were content with who they are and their quality of life. If this is the case, it may be more appropriate to work with other people in the person’s life to understand their challenges and support their differences, rather than work with the person themselves.

Underlying reasons for behaviours – it is important to consider other possible reasons for any behaviours that have been highlighted as a need. For example, if a person has been rated a 1 or 2 for fidgeting, it may be appropriate to consider sensory needs, and related strategies to support these. The wording used for the TASS rating scale asks the assessor to consider appropriateness to the situation, with regards to what would be expected of a typical person their age. If a particular behaviour is rated as a potential area of need this doesn’t automatically mean that it should be an area to target in your intervention. These ratings must be considered in the context of the whole person and the assessor is advised to ask themselves the following questions:

• What do the other parts of the assessment show? Does the wider context show you that social communication is impacting their life?
• Does the self-rating scale show you that the individual highlights any particular areas as difficult?
• Do the priority ratings show you that the individual and key people want support in these areas?
• Could there be other explanations for the behaviour such as sensory needs or environmental?
• Is their social skills profile associated with a particular diagnosis?

If your assessment highlights any question marks in any of these areas, you may need to consider these further before you move on to intervention.

Planning intervention

Having completed the TASS the assessor will want to plan the intervention to ensure that it is right for the person. The table below summarises some points to consider and guides to which Talkabout resource may be helpful.

Planning intervention
TASS form	Where does this guide me?
f.1	This form will guide you to consider factors associated with communication skills that may be relevant for the person at this time and may impact on intervention decisions. For example: The person’s quality of lifeEnvironmental considerationsMotivation / long term goal The person’s priorities
f.2	Strengths in this area would indicate that you are able to prioritise work on their social communication skills. Challenges in this area would indicate that this is where you will want to start work. Depending on the age of the person you could look at the following resources: Talkabout for Children: developing self-awareness and self-esteemTalkabout for Teenagers (level 1) Talkabout for Adults
f.3	The f.3 will give the assessor insight into the person’s views of their social communication and adds important information into the holistic assessment. Comparing the ratings to the scores in f4 may also give the assessor insight into their awareness of their challenges and their priorities. It is interesting to consider areas of agreement and disagreement between the two forms, which will guide your intervention.
f.4	The TASS assessment wheel summarises the 4 areas of social communication as a whole but each should also be considered separately. The hierarchy of skills should be referred to when considering where to start your intervention:   Self-awareness and self-esteemBody languageThe way we talkConversationsAssertiveness
f.4 Body language	Strengths in this area would indicate that you are able to prioritise work on the way they talk or their verbal or assertiveness skills Challenges in this area may be impacting on conversational and assertiveness skills so body language should be taught first. Depending on the age of the person you could use the following resources: Talkabout for Children: developing social skills (Level 1 Talkabout Body Language) Talkabout 2nd edition (Level 1 Talkabout Body Language) Talkabout for Teenagers (Level 2 Talkabout Body Language)
The way we talk	Strengths in this area would indicate that you are able to prioritise work on verbal or assertiveness skills Challenges in this area may be impacting on conversational and assertiveness skills so should be taught first. Depending on the age of the person you could use the following resources: Talkabout for Children: developing social skills (Level 2 Talkabout Talking, Topic 2: Talkabout Speaking) Talkabout 2nd edition (Level 2 Talkabout The Way We Talk) Talkabout for Teenagers (Level 3 Talkabout Talking, Topic 1)
Conversational skills	Strengths in this area would indicate that you are able to prioritise work on assertiveness skills Challenges in this area will be impacting on assertiveness skills so are taught first. Depending on the age of the person you could use the following resources: Talkabout for Children: developing social skills (Level 2 Talkabout Talking) Talkabout 2nd edition (Level 3 Talkabout Conversations) Talkabout for Teenagers (Level 3 Talkabout Talking)
Assertiveness	NB Remember that assertive behaviours should be worked on last and only when the person has enough strengths in all the other areas assessed: self-awareness and self-esteem, body language, the way we talk and conversations. Depending on the age of the person you could use the following resources: Talkabout for Children: developing social skills (Level 3 Talkabout Assertiveness) Talkabout 2nd edition (Level 4 Talkabout Assertiveness) Talkabout for Teenagers (Level 5 Talkabout Assertiveness) Strengths in this area would indicate that you are able to consider work on friendship or relationship skills or no further intervention is needed.
All forms: Priority rating	Are there any priorities highlighted in an area where it would be clinically appropriate to start intervention, considering the hierarchy of social skills? If so, these should be prioritised first.