Young adults with ASD experience difficulties with social skills,
empathy, loneliness, and social anxiety. One intervention,
PEERS®for Young Adults,
shows promise in addressing these challenges. The present study replicated and
extended the original study by recruiting a larger sample (N
= 56), employing a gold standard ASD assessment tool, and examining
changes in social anxiety utilizing a randomized controlled trial design.
Results indicated improvements in social responsiveness (SSIS-RS SS,
p = .006 and CPB, p =
.005; SRS, p = .004), PEERS®
knowledge (TYASSK, p = .001), empathy (EQ,
p = .044), direct interactions (QSQ-YA,
p = .059), and social anxiety (LSAS-SR,
p = .019). Results have important implications for
the utility of the intervention for individuals with ASD.
Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses unique challenges that may impact parents' mental health and parenting experiences. The current study analyzed self-report data from 77 parents of youth with ASD. A serial multiple mediation model revealed that parenting stress (SIPA) and parental mental health (BAI and BDI-II) appears to be impacted by challenging adolescent behaviors (SSIS-PBs) and, in turn, affect parental involvement (PRQ), controlling for social skills (SSIS-SSs). Further, the study explored the malleability of parents' mental health over the course of a social skills intervention, and provides modest evidence that parent depressive symptoms decline across intervention. This study illustrates the importance of considering the entire family system in research on youth with ASD.
A paucity of research has been conducted to examine the effect of social skills intervention on females with ASD. Females with ASD may have more difficulty developing meaningful friendships than males, as the social climate can be more complex (Archer, Coyne, Personality and Social Psychology Review 9(3):212-230, 2005). This study examined whether treatment response among females differed from males. One hundred and seventy-seven adolescents and young adults with ASD (N = 177) participated in this study. When analyzed by group, no significant differences by gender emerged: PEERS knowledge (TASSK/TYASSK, p = .494), direct interactions (QSQ, p = .762), or social responsiveness (SRS, p = .689; SSIS-RS, p = .482). Thus, females and males with ASD respond similarly to the PEERS intervention.
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