Social interaction deficits form a core characteristic of ASD that is commonly targeted through social-skill groups. The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS ) is a well-established parent-assisted intervention for adolescents, which addresses key areas of social functioning. PEERS has been mainly studied in North-America and its evaluations were mostly questionnaire based. The aim of the current study was to test the effectiveness of the adapted and translated Hebrew version of the PEERS intervention in a randomized controlled trial, using behavioral measures of peer interaction, in addition to self, parent, and teacher reports. Forty-one participants with ASD and no intellectual impairment, aged 12-17 years, were randomly assigned to an immediate intervention or a delayed-intervention group. All participants were assessed before and after the immediate intervention, and again at follow up, after the delayed intervention took place. Results revealed intervention-related behavioral improvements on adolescents' engagement, question-asking, and physical arousal. Parental reports indicated improved social skills, and reduced ASD symptoms. Adolescents reported on more social encounters, greater empathy, and scored higher on social-skill knowledge. Most of these effects maintained at a 16-week follow-up. Teacher reports' yielded effects only on pre-post intervention analysis. Adolescents' improvement on behavioral engagement predicted parent-reported social skills improvement. Our findings support the effectiveness of the adapted Hebrew version of PEERS for adolescents with ASD, through significant behavioral and questionnaire-based outcomes, which maintained at follow-up. Autism Res 2018, 11: 1187-1200. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Social-skills groups, which facilitate key social deficits characteristic of ASD, are a popular intervention for adolescents with ASD. Indeed, many treatment protocols have been published, and some have also been research validated. However, there have been inconsistent findings regarding the effectiveness of different protocols, in addition to limited findings of improvement beyond questionnaire reports. This study evaluated the Hebrew adaptation of the PEERS intervention, a 16-weeks long program, which involves the parents as their adolescents' social coaches. Following the intervention, adolescents improved their social-skills, participated more in social encounters, reported greater empathy, and demonstrated higher social-skill knowledge. A live play-role assessment with an unfamiliar peer indicated that adolescents showed greater involvement, asked more questions and were more physically relaxed during the conversation. Improvements maintained 16 weeks after the intervention was completed.

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Parent–child reciprocity plays a signicant role in shaping children's social interaction skills. The development of conflict management skills throughout childhood and adolescence impacts the individual's social adjustment. The increase in conflictual interaction with one's parents during adolescence affects the transformation of parent–adolescent interaction into a more mutual, equal relationship. Adolescents with ASD and their parents may struggle in this type of interaction due to the adolescents' social and regulatory impairments, in addition to their dependence on their parents' involvement and guidance. The current study aimed to evaluate differences in the way adolescents with and without ASD interact with their parents in a conflictual situation. In addition, the association between parent–adolescent reciprocity and the adolescent's social interaction with an unfamiliar peer was examined in the ASD group. Thirty adolescents with ASD and their parents and 30 typically developing (TD) controls were assessed during a standardized conflict interaction. In addition, adolescents with ASD took part in a conversation with an unfamiliar peer. Interactions were videotaped and coded. Results revealed that during the conflictual interaction, compared to their TD peers, adolescents with ASD were more involved in the conversation and less withdrawn from the parent, while their parents were more sensitive and less intrusive toward them. Parent–adolescent reciprocity was poorer in the ASD (compared to the TD) dyad and was positively associated with the adolescents' social‐conversational skills with a peer. These findings emphasize the different developmental trajectory parent–adolescent relationship takes in adolescents with ASD, and its impact on the adolescent's social skills. Autism Res 2019, 12: 263–273 © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary The development of conflict management skills throughout childhood and adolescence impacts the individual's social adjustment. The ability of parents to engage in reciprocal social interaction with the children plays a significant role in shaping children's social interaction skills with peers and with other adults. The transition to adolescence is characterized by an increase in conflictual interaction with one's parents, which transforms the interaction between adolescents and their parents into a more mutual, equal relationship. Adolescents with ASD and their parents may struggle in this type of interaction due to the adolescents' social and emotional difficulties, and their dependence on their parents' involvement and guidance. However, the nature of parent–adolescent interaction, and particularly conflict management has rarely been studied. This study evaluated the way parents and their adolescents with ASD interact in a conflictual conversation, compared to parents and their typically developing adolescents. In addition, we examined how this type of interaction associated with adolescents' social conversation skills wi...

Individuals with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show altered behavioral synchrony and empathic behavior. Yet, an ecologically valid examination of these in adolescents is still required. We employed a social interaction sequence comprising a friendly conversation with a confederate, an expression of distress by her, and a return to friendly conversation. 44 male adolescents (22 with ASD) participated. Socio-emotional behaviors, coded by blind raters and through automated analyses of motion, were analyzed. Results indicated reduced synchrony in the ASD group. Moreover, whereas controls displayed a decrease in synchrony when facing another's distress, adolescents with ASD showed no such change. No group differences were found on empathic behavior. Findings imply gaps between verbal and non-verbal responses of adolescents with ASD to a distressed interaction partner.