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A Clinic-Based Assessment for Evaluating Job-Related Social Skills in Adolescents and Adults with Autism

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Abstract

Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties obtaining and maintaining employment, yet little research has evaluated methods for assessing and improving critical vocational skills. In this study, we evaluated an assessment of job-related social skills for individuals with ASD by arranging conditions that simulated on-the-job experiences in a clinic setting. The experimenter contrived situations to assess a variety of social skills, including asking for help, asking for more materials, and responding to corrective feedback. A total of eight individuals, aged 16 to 32 years, participated. Results suggested that the assessment was useful for identifying specific social skills that could be targeted for intervention to increase success in the work environment. These findings add to the current literature by demonstrating an objective method for assessing a variety of job-related social skills under controlled, naturalistic conditions.

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Acknowledgments

Bridgette White and Courtney Laudont are now at Texana Behavior Center. We thank Trena Rouse for her assistance with various aspects of this project and Channing Langlinais, Daniel Wright, and Allison Day for their assistance with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Health and Applied Sciences, University of Houston—Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Blvd, Houston, TX, 77058, USA

    Dorothea C. Lerman, Bridgette White, Carolyn Grob & Courtney Laudont

Authors
  1. Dorothea C. Lerman
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  2. Bridgette White
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  3. Carolyn Grob
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  4. Courtney Laudont
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Correspondence to Dorothea C. Lerman.

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No grants funded this study.

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All procedures performed this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Lerman, D.C., White, B., Grob, C. et al. A Clinic-Based Assessment for Evaluating Job-Related Social Skills in Adolescents and Adults with Autism. Behav Analysis Practice 10, 323–336 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-017-0177-9

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