Teaching Autistic Individuals to Play Friendly Tricks: A New Insight from Behavior Analysis

Social interactions can be tricky—literally. From practical jokes to playful deception, friendly tricks are a common part of human communication. But for autistic children and adolescents, understanding and executing such tricks can be complex. A recent study by St. Clair et al. (2024) explores how autistic individuals can be taught to play friendly tricks, contributing to their social development in meaningful ways.

This blog post breaks down the study’s key findings and their implications for behavior analysts working with autistic individuals.

Why Deception Matters in Social Development

Deception isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, it plays a significant role in everyday interactions, including:

• Defending against bullying – Knowing when and how to withhold information can help individuals protect themselves.
• Telling white lies for social harmony – Tactful deception can help maintain friendships and avoid unnecessary conflict.
• Keeping secrets and surprises – Many social events, like birthdays and gift-giving, involve keeping information hidden until the right moment.
• Bluffing in games – Activities like poker or even simple board games involve strategic deception.
• Playing friendly tricks – Lighthearted jokes and pranks can foster positive social bonds.

However, autistic individuals often struggle with deception-related skills due to challenges in perspective-taking and theory of mind (ToM). Without targeted intervention, they may miss out on key social opportunities.

The Study: Teaching Autistic Individuals to Play Tricks

Research Questions and Objectives

The study aimed to teach autistic children and adolescents the skills needed to engage in friendly trick-playing. The researchers sought to determine whether behavior-analytic interventions could improve:

1. Perspective-taking skills – Recognizing what others know or believe.
2. Inhibitory control – Resisting the urge to reveal the trick too soon.
3. Execution of friendly deception – Successfully playing a trick from start to finish.

Participants and Methodology

The study involved four autistic children and adolescents, all of whom had:

• Shown interest in playing tricks but had difficulty executing them.
• Motivation to engage in social interactions.
• No prior formal training on deception.

Researchers used a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design. Sessions were conducted in home or clinical settings, integrating the training into ongoing behavioral intervention programs.

Breaking Down Trick-Playing Behavior

The researchers identified four key behaviors involved in successful friendly trick-playing:

1. Stating – Verbally announcing the plan and deception component (e.g., "I'm going to pretend the candy is gone!").
2. Executing – Carrying out the trick as planned.
3. Inhibiting – Preventing premature revelation of the trick.
4. Ending – Properly revealing the trick to the communication partner (e.g., laughing and saying, "Just kidding!").

Before the intervention, participants struggled with some or all of these components.

Key Findings: What Worked?

1. Behavior Skills Training (BST) Improved Performance

Behavior Skills Training (BST) was used to teach participants how to play tricks. BST is a well-established method in applied behavior analysis that involves:

• Instruction – Explaining the behavior to be learned.
• Modeling – Demonstrating the correct play behavior.
• Rehearsal – Practicing the behavior in a supported setting.
• Feedback – Providing reinforcement and corrective guidance.

The researchers found that BST greatly improved participants' ability to execute tricks compared to baseline levels.

2. Participants Learned to Inhibit Premature Reveals

One of the biggest challenges was resisting the urge to reveal the trick too early. Through targeted reinforcement strategies, participants learned to control their impulse to spill the secret too soon, making the trick more effective.

3. Skills Generalized to New Situations

A crucial finding was that some participants were able to generalize their trick-playing skills to new contexts without additional training. This suggests that teaching friendly deception can lead to broader improvements in perspective-taking and social engagement.

Implications for Behavior Analysts

For behavior analysts working with autistic individuals, these findings highlight several key takeaways:

• Friendly deception is a teachable skill – It is possible to systematically increase trick-playing abilities with structured interventions.
• Perspective-taking can be strengthened through practice – By repeatedly engaging in playful deception, autistic individuals can refine their ability to recognize and respond to others’ knowledge states.
• BST is a powerful tool – This study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting BST for teaching complex social skills.

How to Apply These Findings in Practice

If you’re working with autistic clients, consider incorporating friendly trick-playing into your interventions. Here’s how:

1. Select a simple trick – Choose an easy, socially appropriate trick, such as hiding a small object and pretending it has disappeared.
2. Break it down into steps – Teach each component separately before combining them into a full routine.
3. Use behavior skills training (BST) – Model the trick, have the client practice, and provide immediate feedback.
4. Reinforce successful execution – Praise and reward successful trick-playing to increase motivation.
5. Encourage generalization – Once the client masters one trick, introduce variations or different tricks in new settings.

Final Thoughts

This study by St. Clair et al. (2024) provides compelling evidence that friendly tricks can be effectively taught to autistic individuals using behavior-analytic methods. By fostering skills like perspective-taking, inhibitory control, and playful deception, behavior analysts can help their clients engage more fully in social interactions.

Want to dive deeper into this research? Read the full study here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00935-z.