Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Brief Report: Assessment of Intervention Effects on In Vivo Peer Interactions in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a randomized controlled trial of a social skills intervention, the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS: Laugeson et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 39(4): 596–606, 2009), by coding digitally recorded social interactions between adolescent participants with ASD and a typically developing adolescent confederate. Adolescent participants engaged in a 10-min peer interaction at pre- and post-treatment. Interactions were coded using the Contextual Assessment of Social Skills (Ratto et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 41(9): 1277–1286, 2010). Participants who completed PEERS demonstrated significantly improved vocal expressiveness, as well as a trend toward improved overall quality of rapport, whereas participants in the waitlist group exhibited worse performance on these domains. The degree of this change was related to knowledge gained in PEERS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
€32.70 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Finland)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bauminger, N. (2002). The facilitation of social-emotional understanding and social interaction in high-functioning children with autism: Intervention outcomes. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32(4), 283–298.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gantman, A., Kapp, S. K., Orenski, K., & Laugeson, E. A. (2012). Social skills training for young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: A randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1094–1103.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaat, A. J., & Lecavalier, L. (2014). Group-based social skills treatment: A methodological review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8(1), 15–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A. & Frankel, F. (2006). Test of adolescent social skills knowledge. Available from UCLA Parenting and Children’s Friendship Program, 300 Medical Plaza, Los Angeles.

  • Laugeson, E. A., & Frankel, F. (2010). Social skills for teenagers with developmental and autism spectrum disorders: The PEERS treatment manual. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A., Frankel, F., Mogil, C., & Dillon, A. R. (2009). Parent-assisted social skills training to improve friendships in teens with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(4), 596–606.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, M. D., & Mikami, A. Y. (2012). A preliminary randomized controlled trial of two social skills interventions for youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27(3), 145–155. doi:10.1177/1088357612450613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mandelberg, J., Frankel, F., Cunningham, T., Gorospe, C., & Laugeson, E. A. (2014). Long-term outcomes of parent-assisted social skills intervention for high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism, 18(3), 255–263.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mazefsky, C. A., Kao, J., & Oswald, D. P. (2011). Preliminary evidence suggesting caution in the use of psychiatric self-report measures with adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5(1), 164–174.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, K., Regehr, K., Reaume, J., & Feldman, M. (2010). Group social skills training for adolescents with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 16(10), 52–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P., Delgado, C., Block, J., Venezia, M., Hogan, A., & Siebert, J. (2003). A manual for the abridged Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS). Coral Gables, FL: University of Miami.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratto, A. B., Turner-Brown, L., Rupp, B. M., Mesibov, G. B., & Penn, D. L. (2010). Development of the Contextual Assessment of Social Skills (CASS): A role play measure of social skill for individuals with high-functioning autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(9), 1277–1286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reichow, B., Steiner, A. M., & Volkmar, F. (2013). Cochrane review: Social skills groups for people aged 6 to 21 with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Evidence-Based Child Health: A Cochrane Review Journal, 8(2), 266–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schohl, K. A., Van Hecke, A. V., Carson, A. M., Dolan, B., Karst, J., & Stevens, S. (2013). A replication and extension of the PEERS intervention: Examining effects of social skills and social anxiety in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(3), 532–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schreiber, C. (2011). Social skills interventions for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 13(1), 49–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, M. E., Barnard, L., Pearson, J., Hasan, R., & O’Brien, G. (2006). Presentation of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome: A review. Autism, 10(1), 103–116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnik, B., & Fidell, L. (2007). Using multivariate statistics. Boston: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Hecke, A. V., Stevens, S., Carson, A. M., Karst, J. S., Dolan, B., Schohl, K., et al. (2013). Measuring the plasticity of social approach: A randomized controlled trial of effects of the PEERS intervention on EEG asymmetry in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(2), 316–335. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1883-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, P., & Spillane, A. (2009). Evidence-based social skills interventions for children with autism: A meta-analysis. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 44(3), 318.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, S. W., Keonig, K., & Scahill, L. (2007). Social skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders: A review of the intervention research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(10), 1858–1868.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, S. W., Scarpa, A., Conner, C. M., Maddox, B. B., & Bonete, S. (2015). Evaluating change in social skills in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder using a laboratory-based observational measure. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities,. doi:10.1177/1088357614539836.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoo, H., Bahn, G., Cho, I. H., Kim, E. K., Kim, J. H., Min, J. W., et al. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of the Korean version of the PEERS® parent-assisted social skills training program for teens with ASD. Autism Research, 7(1), 145–161. doi:10.1002/aur.1354.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin (ASSEW). We would like to acknowledge all of the families that participated in this study for their time and dedication to clinical research. We also wish to thank Elizabeth Laugeson, Psy.D., UCLA, for her assistance in starting the PEERS program in Wisconsin.

Author Contributions

BD conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, collected the data, facilitated the intervention, analyzed and interpreted the data, and drafted the manuscript. AV supervised the project and helped to design the study, analyze and interpret the data, and edit the manuscript. AC, JSK, SS, KS, and SP participated in facilitating the intervention and data acquisition. JK, LN, RR, and EH coded the study data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Audrey M. Carson

    Present address: Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

  2. Jeffrey S. Karst

    Present address: Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

  3. Rheanna Remmel

    Present address: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Marquette University, PO Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI, 53201-1881, USA

    Bridget K. Dolan, Amy V. Van Hecke, Audrey M. Carson, Jeffrey S. Karst, Sheryl Stevens, Kirsten A. Schohl, Stephanie Potts, Jenna Kahne, Nina Linneman, Rheanna Remmel & Emily Hummel

Authors
  1. Bridget K. Dolan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amy V. Van Hecke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Audrey M. Carson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jeffrey S. Karst
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sheryl Stevens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kirsten A. Schohl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Stephanie Potts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jenna Kahne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Nina Linneman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Rheanna Remmel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Emily Hummel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bridget K. Dolan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dolan, B.K., Van Hecke, A.V., Carson, A.M. et al. Brief Report: Assessment of Intervention Effects on In Vivo Peer Interactions in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). J Autism Dev Disord 46, 2251–2259 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2738-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2738-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation