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Shkel J, Geng A, Pilchak E, Millan ME, Schwartzman JM, Schuck R, Bundang MV, Barnowski A, Slap DM, Stratford S, Hardan AY, Phillips JM, Gengoux GW. A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Motivation-Based Social Skills Group Treatment with Parent Training. J Autism Dev Disord 2024:10.1007/s10803-024-06302-9. [PMID: 38446265 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06302-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Despite the popularity of social skills groups, there remains a need for empirical investigation of treatment effects, especially when targeting pivotal aspects of social functioning such as initiations to peers. The goal of the present study was to conduct a randomized controlled trial of a 12-week social intervention (SUCCESS), which combined an inclusive social group with a parent education program. Twenty-five 4- to 6-year-olds with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were randomized to SUCCESS (N = 11) or to treatment as usual (N = 14). Combining a peer group model with a parent training program, the SUCCESS intervention used naturalistic behavioral techniques (e.g., environmental arrangement, natural reinforcement) to increase social initiations to peers. After 12 weeks, children participating in the SUCCESS program made more frequent initiations to peers than children in the treatment-as-usual group, including more prompted and unprompted initiations to request. Additional gains in clinician-rated social functioning were observed in children randomized to SUCCESS, while differential treatment effects were not detected in parent-rated measures. However, lower baseline social motivation was associated with greater parent-reported initiation improvement. This study provides preliminary support for the efficacy of a naturalistic, behavioral social skills intervention to improve peer initiations for children with ASD. The findings suggest that using a motivation-based social skills group was effective in increasing both prompted and spontaneous initiations to peers, and highlights the need for further research into the role of baseline social motivation in predicting social skills treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Shkel
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
| | - Alicia Geng
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
| | | | | | - Jessica M Schwartzman
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Rachel Schuck
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
| | | | | | - Devon M Slap
- Stanford Medicine Children's Health, Stanford, USA
| | | | | | | | - Grace W Gengoux
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305-5719, USA.
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Russo DA, Blair KSC. Using the high-probability instructional sequence to improve initiation and completion of low-probability instructions in young autistic children. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2023; 134:104422. [PMID: 36610208 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the use of the high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence during pre-academic or academic activities for three young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) served in public elementary schools. Specifically, we examined the effects of the high-p instructional sequence on the children's initiation and completion of low-probability (low-p) instructions, implemented by their classroom teachers. A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the intervention outcomes. The results indicated that the high-p instructional sequence may be an effective antecedent-based intervention for autistic children who typically initiate the low-p instructions but have difficulty completing the instructions. A strong magnitude of effect was shown for initiation across children. For one child, initiation and completion increased during high-p, and the improvement was maintained above criterion levels when high-p instructions in sequence were faded. For two children, we found high levels of initiation but variable performance in completion during high-p. The use of programmed reinforcement for one child suggests that for autistic children who do not often initiate the low-p instructions, the addition of programmed reinforcement may be needed to increase completion of low-probability instructions.
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A Literature Review of Social Communication Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in General Education Settings. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-022-00247-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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