title: A controlled social skills training for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
abstract: Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have significant social skills deficits. The efficacy of a child friendship training (CFT) versus a delayed treatment control (DTC) was assessed for 100 children ages 6 to 12 years with FASD. Children in the CFT showed clear evidence of improvement in their knowledge of appropriate social behavior, and according to parent report, CFT resulted in improved social skills and fewer problem behaviors compared with DTC. Gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up. After receiving treatment, the DTC group exhibited similar improvement. Teachers did not report improvement as a function of social skills treatment. The findings suggest that children with FASD benefit from CFT but that these social skills gains may not be observed in the classroom.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. moconnor@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Mary J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: Blair
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paley
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schonfeld
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Laugeson
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marquardt
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012951:Socialization; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*