The Social Interaction Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Relevant Interventions

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder involved with genetic mutations. The individual's aberrant social communication and interaction and restricted repetitive behaviours are the manifestations. ASD can be diagnosed as young as age 2. ASD is classified as high functioning and low functioning disorders based on intelligence. Factors that influence ASD include "Theory of Mind" (ToM) and social Interaction, in which individuals with ASD have severe difficulty in understanding the thoughts of others, such as their emotions, feelings, beliefs, and opinions. This review is a retrospective study on social interaction impairment in ASD and the relevant interventions. This paper aims to evaluate social communication barriers and their impacts on school functioning, as well as the atypical social attention development during the early stage of ASD. The interventions are mainly divided into parent-child companionship, music therapy, video therapy, and active physical activity. There are still limitations in this review. Most of the methods quoted in the literature adopted cross-sectional designs, and the experimental techniques are relatively narrow. In addition, most intervention programs focused on the early developmental stage. More attention should be paid to the transition between developmental stages in the future. This review can provide some guidance to future intervention research and practice in the special education area for ASD.