No abstract

The present study provides a preliminary evaluation of the effects of the Superheroes Social Skills program, a practice-ready, multimedia social skills program, on social engagements of elementary-age children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Four children with ASD between the ages of 8 and 10 with current placements in inclusive public school settings participated in an 8-week intervention utilizing the intermediate skill components of the Superheroes Social Skills program. The intervention was presented once per week for approximately 30 min in the school settings. Analysis of data suggests that social engagements of participants during generalized recess periods increased following the introduction of intervention. Data on frequency of initiations and responses, as well as sociometric outcomes, were also collected as a secondary dependent variable and are discussed. Results suggest that pullout social skills training may result in effects that are generalized to more naturalistic settings. Limitations of the current study and suggestions for future research are reviewed.

No abstract

The present study evaluated the effects of the Superheroes Social Skills program, a social skills curriculum for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous research has found the curriculum to improve social engagements of children with ASD during unstructured recess periods but has been limited in research design and lack of maintenance data. Five elementary-age participants with current placements in inclusive public school settings were included in the study. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to determine the effects of the intervention on social engagement during unstructured recess periods, as well as teacher ratings of social functioning and sociometric status. Visual and statistical analyses of data indicate increased social engagement of participants during recess periods following introduction of social skills training. Improvements were also observed in teacher ratings of social functioning and sociometric status. Limitations of the current study are also discussed.

The current study evaluated the use of Superheroes Social Skills to promote accurate use of discrete social skills in training and generalization conditions in two children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants attended a twice weekly social skills training group over 5 weeks, with lessons targeting nonverbal, requesting, responding, and conversation skills. A multiple probe across social skills design, replicated across participants, was utilized to assess the effects of participation of the intervention on skill accuracy. Following introduction of the intervention, participants demonstrated abrupt improvements in skill accuracy in both training and generalization conditions. Additionally, parental reports of participant social functioning indicated improvements following participation in the intervention. Limitations and future directions are discussed.