Descriptive assessment of conversational skills: Towards benchmarks for young adults with social deficits

Employment is considered to have a great impact on people's quality of life. However, it is thought to be one of the major problems adolescents and young adults have to face during their transition to the adulthood. Given their impairments, individuals with ASD face several barriers to their vocational rehabilitation. Yet many of them are capable of being independent and working effectively when they are well supported. Since they deal with several challenges due to their condition, high rates of unemployment or underemployment are very common among them. This chapter provides a view of the barriers that can affect the employment outcomes of this population and strategies (e.g., supported employment programs and technology-based interventions) for overcoming those barriers. In particular, the social deficits that characterize ASD may result in difficulty in developing and maintaining high-quality social skills and competence in communication, which are important for finding employment and staying in a work position.

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Effectiveness, durability, and clinical correlates of the PEERS social skills intervention in young adults with autism spectrum disorder: the first evidence outside North America

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291721002385 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Yi-Ling Chien ◽

Wen-Che Tsai ◽

Wen-Hao Chen ◽

Chi-Liang Yang ◽

Susan Shur-Fen Gau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Young Adults ◽

Social Skills ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Social Deficits ◽

Autism Severity ◽

Clinical Correlates ◽

Baseline Severity ◽

Adults With Asd ◽

Young Adults With Asd

Abstract Background Despite the fact that social deficits among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are lifelong and impact many aspects of personal functioning, evidence-based programs for social skills training were not available until recently. The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) has been shown to effectively improve social skills for adolescents on the spectrum across different social cultures. However, the effectiveness for young adults beyond North America has yet to be examined. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the PEERS intervention in Taiwanese young adults with ASD, and examine its durability and clinical correlates. Methods We recruited 82 cognitively-able young adults with ASD, randomized to the PEERS treatment or treatment-as-usual. Results Following treatment, significant improvement was found in aspects of social deficits, autism severity, social interaction anxiety, empathy, and social skills knowledge either by self-report or coach-report. Additionally, communicative behaviors rated by observers improved throughout the sessions, showing a trend toward more appropriate eye contact, gestures, facial expression during conversation, and appropriate maintenance of conversation and reciprocity. Most effects maintained at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups. The improvement of social deficits was positively correlated with baseline severity, while gains in social skills knowledge were positively correlated with IQ. The improvement of social deficits, autism severity, and empathy were positively correlated with each other. Conclusion Overall, the PEERS intervention appears to effectively improve social functioning in Taiwanese young adults with ASD. Improvement of social response and knowledge may be predicted by baseline severity and intelligence respectively.

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Continuum of Care Following Sports-Related Concussion

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00131 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 1389-1403

Author(s):

Jessica Brown ◽

Kelly Knollman-Porter

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Life Span ◽

Sports Injuries ◽

Continuum Of Care ◽

Medical Professional ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Youth Athletes ◽

Speech Language Pathologist ◽

History Of ◽

Injury Reporting

Purpose Although guidelines have changed regarding federally mandated concussion practices since their inception, little is known regarding the implementation of such guidelines and the resultant continuum of care for youth athletes participating in recreational or organized sports who incur concussions. Furthermore, data regarding the role of speech-language pathologists in the historic postconcussion care are lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the experiences of young adults with history of sports-related concussion as it related to injury reporting and received follow-up care. Method Participants included 13 young adults with history of at least one sports-related concussion across their life span. We implemented a mixed-methods design to collect both quantitative and qualitative information through structured interviews. Participants reported experiencing 42 concussions across the life span—26 subsequent to sports injuries. Results Twenty-three concussions were reported to a parent or medical professional, 14 resulted in a formal diagnosis, and participants received initial medical care for only 10 of the incidents and treatment or services on only two occasions. Participants reported concussions to an athletic trainer least frequently and to parents most frequently. Participants commented that previous experience with concussion reduced the need for seeking treatment or that they were unaware treatments or supports existed postconcussion. Only one concussion incident resulted in the care from a speech-language pathologist. Conclusion The results of the study reported herein shed light on the fidelity of sports-related concussion care management across time. Subsequently, we suggest guidelines related to continuum of care from injury to individualized therapy.

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