School-based social skills training for young people with autism spectrum disorders

Einfeld, Stewart L.; Beaumont, Renae; Clark, Trevor; Clarke, Kristina S.; Costley, Debra; Gray, Kylie M.; Horstead, Si�n K.; Redoblado Hodge, M. Antoinette; Roberts, Jacqueline; Sofronoff, Kate; Taffe, John R.; Howlin, Patricia

Abstract

Background: The Secret Agent Society (SAS) Program, an intervention to enhance social- emotional skills, was provided by schools for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The program was assessed to determine if it improved social skills at school and home, and whether improvements were maintained. Methods: Eighty-four students participated. Key outcomes were parent and teacher ratings of emotion regulation, social skills, and direct child social problem-solving measures. The standard school curriculum served as the control condition. Phase 1 was a two-group waitlist-control comparison of SAS versus the standard curriculum. Phase 2 was a follow-up of all participants before and after the intervention and at 12-months post-intervention. Results: Parent and child measures improved after the intervention but not in the waitlist condition. Improvements in parent, child and teacher measures were apparent at 12-months. Conclusions: The SAS Program warrants further research as a potential program for schools that serve children with ASD.

Citation

Einfeld, S. L., Beaumont, R., Clark, T., Clarke, K. S., Costley, D., Gray, K. M., Horstead, S. K., Redoblado Hodge, M. A., Roberts, J., Sofronoff, K., Taffe, J. R., & Howlin, P. (2018). School-based social skills training for young people with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 43(1), 29-39. https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2017.1326587

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 28, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Jul 10, 2017
• Publication Date: Jan 2, 2018
• Deposit Date: Nov 23, 2018
• Journal: Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability
• Print ISSN: 1366-8250
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-9532
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 29-39
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2017.1326587
• Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; social skills training; school
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1302973
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/13668250.2017.1326587
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=cjid20