Effectiveness of Social Skills Training Group for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Socio-communicative impairments are core deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals with ASD have difficulty understanding eye contact, facial expressions, body language, and different tones of voice when communicating with others. They can't interpret the thoughts and feelings of others, or predict social events, and the impaired social skills may lead to rejection of peers and poor participation in school. Social skills training targets the core symptoms of ASD. Empirical support is building for cognitive-behavioral intervention approach, social skills training group for verbally fluent, school-aged children with ASD. Several studies have shown the efficacy of the social story intervention. It is usually provided individually, but we want to use it in the group.

Detailed Description
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Many different intervention program have been used throughout the world. One alternative method used to teach children is the social stories method, which was created by Gray (1993) to address the social difficulties of children with ASD. The theoretical framework of the social stories is based on theory of mind (TOM) hypothesis. Difficulties associated with the impaired TOM was addressed by explaining the complex social concepts in simple words and often include the description of perspectives of others. Several studies have shown the efficacy of the social story intervention. It is usually provided individually, but we want to use it in the group. In this study, we plan to randomly assign thirty-six 5-7-year-old children with ASD to one of two kinds of social skills groups: the social skills group or the play activities group (control condition). Group met for 16 weeks, one time per week, one hour each time. Participants were recruited between October 2020 and September 2023. Assessment were conducted at baseline and endpoint (16 weeks). To empower parents, we would also ask parents of participants to attend our treatment and lecture.

Official Title
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Effectiveness of Social Skills Training Group for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Conditions
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Autism Spectrum Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: social skill group


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion criteria: Clinical diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorder Must be able to understand 3-steps verbal commands Exclusion criteria: Mental retardation Seizure

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 5 Years
Maximum Age: 6 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: social skill training group<br>We plan to address basic interactional and conversational skills first, then focus on teaching perspective-taking and theory of mind skills. | Behavioral: social skill group<br>* We plan to address basic interactional and conversational skills first, then focus on teaching perspective-taking and theory of mind skills.<br>|
| Active Comparator: control group<br>Regular therapy | Behavioral: social skill group<br>* We plan to address basic interactional and conversational skills first, then focus on teaching perspective-taking and theory of mind skills.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GAS (Goal attainment scale) | interview caregivers about specific social interaction goals for the children and give rating 1-5 to calculate the extent to which a parent's goals are met. | the first week and the 15th week of the duration | 
| Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale | to assess the socialization skill of the children. | the first week and the 15th week of the duration | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Autism,autism spectrum disorder,social skill training