A Systematic Literature Review of Interventions to Improve Work-Related Social Skills of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Inclusion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-334
Author(s):  
Holly N. Whittenburg ◽  
Joshua P. Taylor ◽  
Colleen A. Thoma ◽  
Gabrielle S. Pickover ◽  
Vivian E. Vitullo

Abstract People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience impairments in social communication, which may affect their ability to develop social skills necessary for successful employment. It is unclear which types of interventions have been used to teach specific work-related social skills to people with ASD and what the overall effectiveness of those interventions has been. This article reviewed the literature on interventions targeting improvement in work-related social skills of people with ASD. Database searches yielded 1,140 articles; 14 articles met inclusion criteria. Interventions that incorporated several common elements (e.g., modeling, rehearsals, feedback) or used visually-based, technological approaches resulted in improved work-related social skills. However, high-quality research is needed, as is research that occurs in competitive, integrated workplace settings.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Parsons ◽  
Fiore D'Aprano ◽  
Matthew Hughes ◽  
Annie Parish ◽  
Nasia Outsikas

Abstract Background, Aims and MethodsAdults with ASD have difficulty in learning vocational and social skills, which often translates into low employment rates. Video self-modelling (VSM) is an effective educational technique for low functioning individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, with the ability to teach challenging vocational skills as well as basic social skills. Procedures and Outcomes The present study examined the use of video self-modelling to teach these skills to a 22-year-old adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Target behaviours categories included (1) reading order forms, (2) transporting goods, and (3) engaging with customers. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the videos in teaching these target behaviours. The dependent variables were the percentage of tasks completed correctly, and quantitative prompt dependency using a least to most prompting strategy. Results and Conclusions Results showed that VSM modestly improved reading order forms and transporting goods, and moderately improved engagement with customers. ImplicationsThis intervention resulted in the successful employment of an adult with ASD in a job that he specifically desired, whilst teaching him skills he specifically struggled with. As such, VSM should be considered for others wanting to learn combined social and vocational skills.


Author(s):  
Bettoni Roberta ◽  
Valentina Riva ◽  
Chiara Cantiani ◽  
Elena Maria Riboldi ◽  
Massimo Molteni ◽  
...  

AbstractStatistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants’ SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants’ SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 501-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey Hui Shyuan Ng ◽  
Kim Schulze ◽  
Eric Rudrud ◽  
Justin B. Leaf

Abstract This study implemented a modified teaching interaction procedure to teach social skills to 4 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder with an intellectual disability. A multiple baseline design across social skills and replicated across participants was utilized to evaluate the effects of the modified teaching interaction procedure. The results demonstrated that the teaching interaction procedure resulted in all participants acquiring targeted social skills, maintaining the targeted social skills, and generalizing the targeted social skills.


Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 898-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenna B Maddox ◽  
Patrick Cleary ◽  
Emily S Kuschner ◽  
Judith S Miller ◽  
Anna Chelsea Armour ◽  
...  

Many children with autism spectrum disorder display challenging behaviors. These behaviors are not limited to those with cognitive and/or language impairments. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions framework proposes that challenging behaviors result from an incompatibility between environmental demands and a child’s “lagging skills.” The primary Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills—executive function, emotion regulation, language, and social skills—are often areas of weakness for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether these lagging skills are associated with challenging behaviors in youth with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability. Parents of 182 youth with autism spectrum disorder (6–15 years) completed measures of their children’s challenging behaviors, executive function, language, emotion regulation, and social skills. We tested whether the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills predicted challenging behaviors using multiple linear regression. The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions lagging skills explained significant variance in participants’ challenging behaviors. The Depression (emotion regulation), Inhibit (executive function), and Sameness (executive function) scales emerged as significant predictors. Impairments in emotion regulation and executive function may contribute substantially to aggressive and oppositional behaviors in school-age youth with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability. Treatment for challenging behaviors in this group may consider targeting the incompatibility between environmental demands and a child’s lagging skills.


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