Social-skills treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders: an overview.
Seventy-nine studies say modeling and praise rule the social-skills world, but we still lack head-to-head trials to pick the best package.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kleinert et al. (2007) read 79 papers about teaching social skills to kids with autism. They grouped the studies by the tricks teachers used most. Most lessons happened at school. The paper is a map, not a scoreboard; it tells us what exists, not what wins.
What they found
Modeling and praise were the stars of the show. Almost every study used them. School rooms were the favorite place to run lessons. Big, side-by-side trials were missing. No one knew which package beat the others.
How this fits with other research
Menezes et al. (2021) later lined up 18 school studies and saw the same tools—modeling, praise, peer partners—working in real classrooms. Their tighter lens shows the tricks L et al. spotted still hold up today.
Dudley et al. (2019) zoomed in on social communication. They found the same gains, but warned most lessons were run by researchers, not teachers. This adds a wrinkle to L et al.’s map: the field grew, yet teachers still rarely lead.
Gilmore et al. (2022) moved the camera to teens. Their meta-analysis says group classes still work, but real-life hangouts rarely budge. The story extends L et al.’s child focus uphill to adolescence with the same mixed ending.
Why it matters
You now know modeling and praise are the common bricks. Use them, but don’t stop there. Train peers, script greetings, and measure who kids actually talk to at recess. Push for teacher-led setups so the skill travels past the research table.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Marked advances in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has occurred in the past few decades, primarily using applied behavior analysis. However, reviews of trends in social skills treatment for children with ASDs have been scant, despite a robust and growing empirical literature on the topic. In this selective review of 79 treatment studies, the authors note that the research has been particularly marked by fragmented development, using a range of intervention approaches and definitions of the construct. Modeling and reinforcement treatments have been the most popular model from the outset, with most studies conducted in school settings by teachers or psychologists. Investigators have been particularly attentive to issues of generalization and follow-up. However, large-scale group studies and comparisons of different training strategies are almost nonexistent. These trends and their implications for future research aimed at filling gaps in the existing literature are discussed.
Behavior modification, 2007 · doi:10.1177/0145445507301650