Research summaries for autism therapy: social skills groups

definition of social skills groups: Tool for teaching appropriate social interaction in which children with autism meet regularly as a group with a therapist to learn about specific social situations.
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Effective Methylphenidate Treatment of an Adult Aspergers Syndrome and a Comorbid ADHD: A Clinical Investigation with fMRI, Summarized Nov 9, 2010

Methylphenidate may help adults who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Asperger syndrome.

This case study presents an adult patient with ADHD and Aspergers syndrome. The 26-year old man had had problems since childhood with making and keeping social contacts. The authors note that when an adult has both ADHD and Aspergers syndrome the case may be complex and hard to diagnose. This is because both ADHD and Aspergers syndrome may result in poor social skills and lack of attention. In the case of this patient, treatment with methylphenidate improved his ability to function and reduced his ADHD symptoms.

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The Effectiveness of Intervention on the Behavior of Individuals with Autism: A Meta-Analysis Using Percentage of Data Points Exceeding the Median of Baseline Phase (PEM), Summarized Oct 21, 2010

Some applied behavior analysis (ABA) approaches are more helpful than others when teaching social skills to people with autism.

The aim of this review article was to compare applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques to treat autism. The study found five helpful ways to use ABA: priming, self-control, training, positive reinforcement plus punishment, and presenting preferential activities. These interventions were helpful for all ages and both genders. The least helpful use of ABA was in teaching perspective-taking skills. The author found that it worked better to train social skills as a whole instead of training just a single type of social skill.

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Parent-Assisted Social Skills Training to Improve Friendships in Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Summarized Jul 1, 2010

Parents may be able to help teens with autism learn social skills and deepen friendships.

This study looked at whether parent-assisted social skills intervention could help 33 teens (13-17 years of age) with autism to improve social skills and friendships. The study used the program PEERS (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills). This study found that parents and teens believed that the teens learned social skills with the PEERS program. Teachers did not report changes in social skills in kids in the program. The authors think that this is because very few teachers turned in the reports on the teens.

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“Who’s There?”: Shakespeare and the Dragon of Autism, Summarized May 25, 2010

Parents may use their expertise to connect with and stimulate the minds of their children with autism.

In this article a father and English teacher describes how Shakespeare inspired the thoughts of two boys with autism. The author notes that normal and autistic are single points on an autistic spectrum. All of us have moments when we tune out or show poor social skills. He notes that the study of Shakespeare provides a good way for all children to learn that words do not always have simple meanings. The study of Shakespeare also gave the two boys the gift of words and showed them the beauty and joy of words.

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Synonyms for social skills groups include: social skill, social skills, social skills therapy, social skills training, socials skills
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