title: Parent-assisted social skills training to improve friendships in teens with autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: This study examines the efficacy of a manualized parent-assisted social skills intervention in comparison with a matched Delayed Treatment Control group to improve friendship quality and social skills among teens 13-17 years of age with autism spectrum disorders. Targeted skills included conversational skills, peer entry and exiting skills, developing friendship networks, good sportsmanship, good host behavior during get-togethers, changing bad reputations, and handling teasing, bullying, and arguments. Results revealed, in comparison with the control group, that the treatment group significantly improved their knowledge of social skills, increased frequency of hosted get-togethers, and improved overall social skills as reported by parents. Possibly due to poor return rate of questionnaires, social skills improvement reported by teachers was not significant. Future research should provide follow-up data to test the durability of treatment.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. elaugeson@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Laugeson
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mogil
authors.forename: Ashley R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Dillon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010290:Parents; D010379:Peer Group; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D012919:Social Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014705:Verbal Behavior