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Covert Audio Coaching to Increase Question Asking by Female College Students with Autism: Proof of Concept

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Abstract

Deficits in social-communication skills are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Deficits in social communication progress into adolescence and adulthood, making complex social interactions particularly difficult and preventing the development of meaningful friendships. Interventions aimed to improve conversational skills needed to foster development of relationships for this age group are needed. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of instructional modules and covert audio coaching (CAC), on the frequency of question asking skills among college students diagnosed with ASD. Four college females diagnosed with ASD and six neurotypical peers participated in the current study. The effects of the instructional modules and covert audio coaching were evaluated using a concurrent multiple-baseline design. CAC was associated with variable increases in the frequency of question asking across participants. The introduction of a feedback phase resulted in further increases in the frequency of question asking for two of the participants. Results suggest that CAC is feasible and may be an effective tool to teach conversation skills to female college students with ASD. Further, participants indicated they found the intervention helpful and preferred it to other interventions in which they had previously experienced. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institute for Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research [Grant number #H133A130032].

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute for Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research [Grant number #H133A130032]. The funding body had no input into study design, data collection, or interpretation of findings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Studies, College of Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Rose A. Mason & Emily Gregori

  2. Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, USA

    Howard P. Wills, Debra Kamps & Jonathan Huffman

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  1. Rose A. Mason
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  2. Emily Gregori
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  3. Howard P. Wills
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  4. Debra Kamps
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Correspondence to Rose A. Mason.

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Mason, R.A., Gregori, E., Wills, H.P. et al. Covert Audio Coaching to Increase Question Asking by Female College Students with Autism: Proof of Concept. J Dev Phys Disabil 32, 75–91 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-019-09684-2

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