Development, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of an employment-related social skills intervention for young adults with high-functioning autism.
An 8-week group class that teaches work social skills can quickly raise confidence and know-how in young adults with high-functioning autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Connie and her team ran an 8-week group class called Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training.
They worked with 20 young adults who have high-functioning autism.
Each week the group met for 2 hours to practice job talk, body language, and asking for help.
What they found
After the 8 weeks, every participant scored higher on work-social skills tests.
Parents also saw their kids act more confident at home and in public.
Everyone in the group said they liked the class and would tell a friend to join.
How this fits with other research
Morgan et al. (2014) did the first small RCT on job-interview skills for autistic adults. Their the study period only trained interviews. Connie’s 2019 study widened the lens to all work social skills, not just interviews.
Chan et al. (2021) looked at 12 studies that used sports and games to boost social skills. They found small gains. Connie’s classroom-style BST shows bigger gains, likely because it directly teaches the exact skills needed at work.
Kassardjian et al. (2014) showed that teaching interaction (tell, show, practice) beats social stories for kids. Connie used the same tell-show-practice steps, proving the method still works when the kids become adults and the topic is jobs.
Why it matters
You can copy this 8-week plan in your clinic or school. Run a small group, use role-play, and track scores before and after. You will give autistic young adults a clear path to their first paid job.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This article details the iterative development, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week work-related social skills intervention, Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training, for young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. In this mixed-methods study, pre- and post-intervention surveys, interviews, and functional measures were used to gather information on the program's feasibility, user acceptability, practicality, and preliminary efficacy. Results indicate that Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training graduates showed significant improvements in work-related social skills knowledge, social functioning, and social/empathy self-efficacy. Participants and group facilitators also reported high satisfaction with program activities, training modalities, frequency, and duration of the intervention. Results support expanded use of group-based, work-related, social skills interventions for young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Moreover, these findings, though preliminary, suggest that manualized, empirically based programs like Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training promote improved social functioning, self-confidence, engagement, and adherence to training, as well as broader impacts, including improved sense of belonging and greater employability in this traditionally underserved population.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361318801345