Skip to main content

Overview and Preliminary Evidence for a Social Skills and Self-Care Curriculum for Adolescent Females with Autism: The Girls Night Out Model

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 47, pages 110–125 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

A majority of social skills research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and interventions target school age males and no published studies target adolescent females with ASD or related disabilities. Females with ASD are at risk for internalizing symptoms, and experience greater challenges in socialization and communication as social demands become increasingly complex in adolescence. This paper provides a thorough description of a social skills and self-care program designed to address the specific needs of adolescent females with ASD. The approach is peer mediated and occurs within natural or community settings to facilitate generalization. Findings from program evaluation data collected across 4 years illustrate significant improvements in perceived social competence, self-perception, and quality of life and suggests the approach is feasible and social valid.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

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

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Atyeo, H., & Forchuk, C. (2013). Psychiatric/psychosocial rehabilitation in relation to residential environments: Housing and homelessness. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 9(3), 188–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1971). Social Learning Theory. New York, NY: General Learning Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbu, S., Cabanes, G., & Le Maner-Idrissi, G. (2011). Boys and girls on the playground: sex differences in social development are not stable across early childhood. PLoS One, 6, e16407.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barnhill, G. P., Cook, K., Tebbenkamp, K., & Myles, B. S. (2002). The effectiveness of social skills intervention targeting nonverbal communication for adolescents with Asperger syndrome and related pervasive developmental delays. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17(2), 112–118. doi:10.1177/10883576020170020601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauminger, N., & Kasari, C. (2000). Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with autism. Child Development, 71(2), 447–456. doi:10.1111/1467.8624.00156.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Begeer, S., Mandell, D., Wijnker-Holmes, B., et al. (2013). Sex differences in the timing of identification among children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 1151–1156.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bellini, S., & Akullian, J. (2007). A meta-analysis of video modeling and video self-modeling interventions for children and adolescents for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Exceptional Children, 73(3), 264–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellini, S., Peters, J. K., Benner, L., & Hopf, A. (2007). A meta-analysis of school-based social skills interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 28(153), 153–162. doi:10.1177/07419325070280030401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bornstein, M., Hahn, C., & Haynes, O. (2010). Social competence, externalizing, and internalizing behavioral adjustment from early childhood through early adolescence: Developmental cascades. Developmental Psychopathology, 22(4), 717–735. doi:10.1017/S0954579410000416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crombie, G. (1988). Gender differences: Implications for social skills assessment and training. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 17(1988), 116–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ditterline, J., & Oakland, T. (2009). Relationships between adaptive behavior and impairment. Assessing Impairment, 31–48.

  • Frankel, F. D., Gorospe, C. M., Chang, Y., & Sugar, C. A. (2010). Mothers’ reports of play dates and observation of school playground behavior of children having high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(5), 571–579. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02318.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Galambos, N. L., Barker, E. T., & Almeida, D. M. (2003). Parents do matter: Trajectories of change in externalizing and internalizing problems in early adolescence. Child Development, 74, 578–594.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gresham, F. M., Sugai, G., & Horner, R. H. (2001). Interpreting outcomes for social skills training for students with high-incidence disabilities. Exceptional Children, 67(3), 331–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gur, R. E., & Gur, R. C. (2016). Sex differences in brain and behavior in adolescence: Findings from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.035.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hacker, K. (2013). Community-based participatory research. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannah, A., & Murachver, T. (1999). Gender and conversational style as predictors of conversational behavior. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 18(2), 153–174. doi:10.1177/02691927X99018002002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S., Waters, P., & Whitesell, N.R. (1998). Relational self-worth: Differences in perceived worth as a person across interpersonal contexts among adolescents. Child Development, 69(3), 756–766. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/.

  • Hiller, R. M., Young, R. L., & Weber, N. (2014). Sex differences in autism spectrum disorder based on DSM-5 criteria: Evidence from clinician and teacher reporting. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42, 1381–1393.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hume, K., Loftin, R., & Lantz, J. (2009). Increasing independence in autism spectrum disorders: A review of the three focused interventions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(9), 1329–1338. doi:10.1007/s10803-009-0751-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jamison, T.R., Daniels, D., Gilmore, M., & Downey, K. (2012). Factors that influence peer acceptance in adolescent girls with ASD. Poster presentation at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Annual Meeting and Conference, Washington, D.C.

  • Jamison, T.R., MacKay, A., Redford, J., Taylor, K., & Mason, K. (2012). Promoting social competence in adolescent girls with ASD. Poster presentation at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR 2012).

  • Jamison, T.R., Schuttler, J. O., & Pak, N. (2015). It’s not just a guy thing: Identifying socially valid interventions for adolescent females with ASD. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

  • Johnston, S., Nelson, C., Evans, J., & Palazolo, K. (2003). The use of visual supports in teaching young children with autism spectrum disorder to initiate interactions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 19(2), 86–103. doi:10.1080/0743461031000112016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kamps, D., Royer, J., Dugan, E., Kravits, T., Gonzalez-Lopez, A., Garcia, J., … Garrison Kane, L. (2002). Peer training to facilitate social interaction for elementary students with autism and their peers. Exceptional Children, 68(2), 173–187. Retrieved from http://cec.metapress.com/content/62581p2512882676/.

  • Kendall, P. C. (2006). Guiding theory for therapy with children and adolescents. In P.C. Kendall (Ed.), Child and adolescent therapy: Cognitive-behavioral procedure, 3rd Edn (pp. 3–30). New York, NY: Guildford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirkovski, M., Enticott, P. G., & Fitzgerald, P. B. (2013). A review of the role of female gender in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(11), 2584–2603. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1811-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, K., & Tsatsanis, K. D. (2005). Pervasive developmental disorders in girls. In D. J. Bell & S. L. Foster (Eds.), Handbook of behavioral and emotional problems (pp. 211–237). New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Krasny, L., Williams, B. J., Provencal, S., & Ozonoff, S. (2003). Social skills interventions for the autism spectrum: Essential ingredients and a model curriculum. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 12, 107–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, M. C., Baron-Cohen, S., & Buxbaum, J. D. (2015). Understanding autism in the light of sex/gender. Mol Autism, 6, 24.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A., Frankel, F., Gantman, A., Dillon, A. R., & Mogil, C. (2011). Evidence-based social skills training for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: The UCLA PEERS program. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1025–1036. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1339-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Law, M., Baptiste, S., Carswell, A., McColl, M. A., Polatajko, H., & Pollock, N. (2005). Canadian occupational performance measure 4th Edn. Ottawa: CAOT Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Schopler, E., & Revicki, D. (1982). Sex differences in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 12, 317–330.

  • Mackay, T., Knott, F., & Dunlop, A. W. (2007). Developing social interaction and understanding in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A group intervention. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 32(4), 279–290. doi:10.1080/13668250701689280.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mandy, W., Chilvers, R., Chowdhury, U., et al. (2012). Sex differences in autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from a large sample of children and adolescents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 1304–1313.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matson, J. L., Matson, M. L., & Rivet, T. T. (2007). Social-skills treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders: An overview. Behavior Modification, 31(5), 682–707. doi:10.1177/0145445507301650.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, S. R. (2002). Interventions to facilitate social interaction for young children with autism: Review of available research and recommendations for educational intervention and future research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32(5), 351–372.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, T. A., & Machalicek, W. (2013). Systematic review of intervention research with adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(11), 1439–1460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLennan, J. D., Lord, C., & Schopler, E. (1993). Sex differences in higher functioning people with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23(2), 217–227.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pemberton, J. R., Borrego, J., & Sherman, S. (2013). Differential attention as a mechanism of change in parent–child interaction therapy: Support from time-series analysis. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 35(1), 35–44.

    Article  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, 48, 1277–1286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichow, B., & Volkmar, F. R. (2010). Social skills intervention for individuals with Autism: Evaluation for evidence-based practices within a best evidence synthesis framework. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 149–166. doi:10.1007/s10803-009-0842-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rivet, T. T. & Matson, J. L. (2011). Review of gender differences in core symptomatology in autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5(3), 957–976. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2010.12.003.

    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 on social skills and social anxiety in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(7), 1–14. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1900-1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuttler, J., Jamison, T. R., & Edwards, L. (May 2014). Exploring the developmental social profile of females with autism. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Atlanta, GA.

  • Shapiro, E. S., Durnan, S. L., Post, E. E., & Levinson, T. S. (2002). Self-monitoring procedures for children and adolescents. In: M. R. Shinn, H. M. Walker & G. Stoner (Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II: Preventive and remedial approaches (pp. 433–454). Washington, D. C.: National Association of School Psychologists.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B. F. (1988). Methods and theories in the experimental analysis of behavior. In: A. Charles & S. Harnad. (Eds.), The selection of behavior: The operant behaviorism of B.F. Skinner: Comments and consequences (pp. 77–149). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, M., Miller, M., Taylor, S. L., Hinshaw, S. P., & Carter, C. S. (2012). Autism symptoms and internalizing psychopathology in girls and boys with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48, 48–59. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1215-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L. (2002). Adolescence (6th Ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stokes, T. F., & Baer, D. M. (1977). An implicit technology of generalization. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 10(2), 349–367.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Thorndike, E. L. (1913). The psychology of learning. New York: Teachers College, Colunbia University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Wijngaarden-Cremers, P. J., van Eeten, E., Groen, W. B., et al. (2014). Gender and age differences in the core triad of impairments in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 627–635.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

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

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, M. J., & Meyer, R. N. (1999). Self-determination for people with developmental disabilities and autism: Two self-advocates’ perspectives. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 14, 133–139. doi:10.1177/108835769901400302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, E. E., Zimmermann, Z. J., & Poling, A. (2014). The gender of participants in published research involving people with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8(2). doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2013.10.010.

  • Wehmeyer, M. L. (1998). Self-determination and individuals with significant disabilities: Examining meanings and misinterpretations. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 23(1), 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, S. W., Koenig, 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, 1858–1868. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0320-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, S.W., Koenig, K., & Scahill, L. (2010). Group social skills instruction for adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilties, 25. doi:10.1177/1088357610380595.

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Liesl Edwards, Ph.D. for her support in preparing this manuscript. This research was supported in part by grants from the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training, and an Autism Speaks Family Services Grant. We also acknowledge Mallorey Marek for her assistance in preparing this manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by in part by a Family Services grant from Autism Speaks; pilot grant from the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training at the University of Kansas and a Trailblazer award from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Author Contributions

Author 1 conceptualized, designed and developed iterations of the GNO program, as well as program evaluations related to program implementation. Author 2 was trained in and coordinated elements of the GNO program as conceptualized by Author 1, and participated in data collection and analysis related to some elements of program evaluation, as well as construction of and revisions of manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Child Health and Development, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA

    T. Rene Jamison & Jessica Oeth Schuttler

Authors
  1. T. Rene Jamison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jessica Oeth Schuttler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. Rene Jamison.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Author A declares that she has no conflict of interest. Author B declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants 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.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (PDF 321 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jamison, T.R., Schuttler, J.O. Overview and Preliminary Evidence for a Social Skills and Self-Care Curriculum for Adolescent Females with Autism: The Girls Night Out Model. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 110–125 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2939-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2939-6

Keywords

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Females with autism
  • Intervention
  • Social skills