Establishment of Social Skills Training Group in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Effectiveness Analysis
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, and the presence of restricted, repetitive behavior and interests, affecting 1 in 68 children. Although atypical social deficits onset in early childhood, their social relationships with peers may remain a challenge or even worsen for individuals with ASD throughout the school years and beyond, as social contexts increase in complexity and pose higher social expectations.
• aged 11-20 years, currently enrolled in school between the sixth grade of elementary school and the third year of high school
• with a clinical diagnosis of ASD from a licensed mental health or medical professional based on DSM-5
• experiencing social difficulties as reported by parents in a structured intake interview
• scored ≧ 26 on the caregiver-reported Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), indicating clinical impairment associated with ASD
• demonstrating verbal fluency in Chinese
• with a full-scale IQ \> 70 on WAIS-IV
• with motivation to participate in the intervention;
• with a caregiver who was fluent in Chinese and willing to participate as a social coach in the study.