Perspectives of Adults With Autism on Social Communication Intervention

Abstract

Social communication difficulties are part of the core difficulties experienced by individuals with autism. Speech-language pathologists provide intervention and supports for these difficulties. Little is known about the own experiences and views of adults with autism about these services. Using semi-structured ethnographic interviewing, perspectives of eight adults (six currently attending college) with autism on social communication intervention were investigated. Participants articulated strengths and weaknesses in social communication, offering frank views of interventions received. Five themes regarding social communication intervention emerged: belief that intervention was ineffective and unnecessary; preference for one-on-one intervention; need for more real-world practice; friend and peer challenges and successes; and desire for more neurotypical understanding. Participants additionally offered general views on social functioning as well as advice for communication partners and other people with autism. In designing interventions for social communication impairments, the experiences and beliefs of those receiving the interventions should be a central element.

Does Adlerian Play Therapy Increase Social, Physical, and Task Appeal More Than Content Mastery Services in Elementary School Students?

“…If the child is disliked, then other people will see everything from that person negatively. This negative assessment results in children's communication being ineffective or less listened to (Santhanam & Hewitt, 2020;Alia & Irwansyah, 2018). As a result, it causes selfconcept (Irawan, 2017;Aronson, 2019;Fahriza et al, 2020), and children's self-efficacy will be low (Fitriyanti & Bilqis, 2020;Fitriyanti & Bilqis, 2020a).…”

Administration of the Repertory Grid Assessment Technique for Exploring Social Cognition of Individuals With Autism

“…Individuals with autism who have average or above-average intelligence and language can participate in interventions to improve their social communication skills. This is important, as these abilities affect a person's academic, adaptive, psychological, and vocational functioning (Elliott et al, 2001;Santhanam & Hewitt, 2020).Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) play a key role in determining appropriate strategies for evaluating the social skills of individuals with autism. To develop a person-centered, social communication intervention plan, a comprehensive diagnostic battery should be administered.Conducting a thorough evaluation of social skill knowledge and use across multiple contexts with individuals on the autism spectrum who have average or above-average intelligence and language skills can be complex.…”

“…Individuals with autism who have average or above-average intelligence and language can participate in interventions to improve their social communication skills. This is important, as these abilities affect a person's academic, adaptive, psychological, and vocational functioning (Elliott et al, 2001;Santhanam & Hewitt, 2020).…”

“…Few assessment tools have been designed to elicit a firstperson accounting of one's ability to effectively use social communication, the relevance it plays in their everyday life, and/or their ability to make sense of other people and themselves within social communication exchanges (i.e., social cognition; Santhanam & Hewitt, 2020). This is important information to gather, as evidence has shown that while social skills can be taught and may improve over time (Howlin & Moss, 2012), social difficulties tend to persist throughout the lifespan for those on the autism spectrum (Orsmond et al, 2004;Seltzer et al, 2005).…”

“…This is important information to gather, as evidence has shown that while social skills can be taught and may improve over time (Howlin & Moss, 2012), social difficulties tend to persist throughout the lifespan for those on the autism spectrum (Orsmond et al, 2004;Seltzer et al, 2005). Furthermore, efficacy reviews do not provide strong evidence for substantial social communication skill improvements or generalization Santhanam & Hewitt, 2020;Williams et al, 2006). This lack of social skill maintenance has been associated with, among other things, implementation of treatment strategies that did not address the cognitive aspect of social communication interactions (Crooke et al, 2008;DePape & Lindsay, 2016).…”