Leaf, J. B., Leaf, J. A., Milne, C., Taubman, M., Oppenheim-Leaf, M., Torres, N., Townley-Cochran, D., Leaf, R., McEachin, J., & Yoder, P. (2017). An evaluation of a behaviorally based social skills group for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(2), 243-259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2949-4

Reviewed by: Julia L. Ferguson, MS, BCBA and Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, BCBA-D, Applied Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program, Endicott College

Why research this topic?

Procedures to teach specific skills for individuals with autismIndividuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in social communication and interaction skills (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). An intervention that has been demonstrated to be effective in teaching and increasing social behaviors is behaviorally-based social skills groups. Behaviorally based social skills groups incorporate behavior analytic teaching strategies with similar-aged peers in a group format. Typically, social skills groups will meet two to three times a week and work together on a variety of social skills goals (e.g., sharing, greetings, sportsmanship, joint attention). Some benefits to targeting social skills in a group format include promoting generalization, increased opportunities for peer interactions, and observational learning opportunities. It is important to continually assess and research the effectiveness of behaviorally-based social skills groups in order to ensure that the variety of behavior analytic procedures that may be used in the group are effective at increasing and teaching social behaviors for all members of the group.

What did the researchers do?

Fifteen children diagnosed with ASD participated in the study. The participants were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of eight children, and Group B consisted of seven children. All children who participated were between 3 to 7 years old, had a formal diagnosis of ASD, had a full-scale IQ score above 80, had typical expressive and receptive language skills for their age, displayed social skill deficits, and had no prior experience or history with the agency providing the behaviorally based social skills group. The social skills groups lasted 12 weeks, in which the group would meet one time a week for 90 minutes. Group A started participating in the social skills group first and, once their 12 weeks had finished, then Group B started participating in the social skills group. (This was technically a wait list control study; all participants received the group, but it was begun in a staggered fashion for the two groups.) Throughout the 12 weeks, several different behavior analytic teaching procedures were used to teach a variety of social skills depending on each child’s specific social skill deficits and strengths. Behavior analytic teaching procedures and principles used to target social skills included reinforcement, discrete trial teaching, modeling, incidental teaching, shaping, flexible prompt fading, the teaching interaction procedure, and the cool versus not cool procedure. Social skills targeted throughout the group included social discrimination skills, conditioning peers as reinforcers, observational learning skills, inferences and predictions, attending, general and pop culture knowledge, joint attention, conversation skills, playing with friends, winning and losing graciously, and more. To assess the effectiveness of the social skills group, the teachers, researcher, and a blind evaluator filled out multiple assessments for each participant during a baseline observation period, an observation period once the social skills group had concluded, and additional observation periods at least 16 weeks after the social skills group had concluded. The observational periods lasted 2 hours each and consisted of a free play period, large group instruction, an indoor game period, an outdoor game period, and an additional time for large group instruction. Assessments filled out during these observation periods were the Social Skills Improvement System, the Social Responsiveness Scale, Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment, and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers found that after the participants finished participating in the social skills group, all participants had made statistically significant improvements in their social behavior. These findings were replicated by Group B as well. Additionally, those statistically significant improvements in social behavior maintained 16 to 32 weeks after the social skills group had concluded. Social validity measures were also taken from the parents and caregivers of the children in the social skills groups. Results of the social validity survey were positive, indicating that the parents were happy with the procedures used throughout the social skills group, thought the skills taught were important, enjoyed the teachers implementing the social skills group, and were satisfied with the overall outcomes.

What are the strengths and limitations of the study

This study demonstrated that behaviorally-based social skills groups can improve and increase social behavior for children diagnosed with ASD in a relatively short amount of time (i.e., 12 weeks) with only 2 hours of intervention per week. A major strength of the study was the use of multiple observers, including a blind observer who did not know whether the observed children had participated in the group. Also, the use of multiple measures to assess change is another methodological strength, and results support that extensive change occurred for participants. Additionally, the researchers found that the social skills improvements maintained over time, and that parents and caregivers were highly satisfied with the social skills group. Noted limitations of the study were that the teachers who implemented the social skills group had many years of experience, so the results of a social skills group with teachers with less experience is unknown. This may limit the generalizability of the findings; it would be important to replicate it with less experienced teachers. Additionally, children who participated in the social skills groups had average to high IQ scores and average language and communication skills for their age. It is also unknown how children with different skills and abilities would respond to a social skills group conducted in a similar manner. Future research on behaviorally-based social skills groups should seek to address these limitations.

What do the results mean?

The results of the study indicate that when a variety of applied behavior analytic (ABA) teaching strategies are used to target social skills in a group setting with individuals diagnosed with ASD, positive outcomes are observed for those targeted social skills. Additionally, the teaching strategies used were flexible and responsive to each individual child’s specific social skills needs. This individualized approach, even within a group setting, is an important element of social skills interventions. Finally, the program led to high levels of maintenance and positive social validity results. While social skills interventions are often suggested and frequently implemented, many groups lack the use of empirically supported strategies. This study demonstrates that ABA can be successful and effective in targeting the elusive realm of social skills in a group format. This has implications for the expansion of evidence-based social skill interventions, and provides support for more efficient instruction in a group intervention format.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author.

Citation for this article:

Ferguson, J. L. & Weiss, M. J. (2021). Research synopsis: An evaluation of a behaviorally based social skills group for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Science in Autism Treatment, 18(8).

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