Group training in interpersonal problem-solving skills for workplace adaptation of adolescents and adults with Asperger syndrome: a preliminary study.
A brief group course that rehearses workplace dilemmas boosted social problem-solving in adults with Asperger syndrome.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bonete et al. (2015) ran a small group class for adults with Asperger syndrome.
The class taught workplace problem-solving skills like handling criticism and asking for help.
Parents rated social skills before and after the course.
What they found
Adults got better at solving social problems at work.
Parents also saw them socialize more outside the classroom.
The gains appeared right after the short programme ended.
How this fits with other research
Spain et al. (2015) reviewed five similar adult group classes the same year. Their cautious verdict matches Saray’s upbeat result: both say group training helps, but samples are tiny.
Sasson et al. (2022) later pooled many adult studies and still found large parent-reported gains, giving Saray’s finding more weight.
Matson et al. (2011) tried group social skills with boys aged 8-11. They saw lab gains that parents did not notice, hinting that adult-focused content and parent-chosen goals may matter more for real-world change.
Why it matters
You can run a short, low-cost group for adults with ASD that targets job problems, not just chat skills. Ask parents to pick the social goals and track them; their ratings seem sensitive to change. Pair the class with real work tasks so practice transfers to the office.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Adults with Asperger syndrome show persistent difficulties in social situations which psychosocial treatments may address. Despite the multiple studies focusing on social skills interventions, only some have focused specifically on problem-solving skills and have not targeted workplace adaptation training in the adult population. This study describes preliminary data from a group format manual-based intervention, the Interpersonal Problem-Solving for Workplace Adaptation Programme, aimed at improving the cognitive and metacognitive process of social problem-solving skills focusing on typical social situations in the workplace based on mediation as the main strategy. A total of 50 adults with Asperger syndrome received the programme and were compared with a control group of typical development. The feasibility and effectiveness of the treatment were explored. Participants were assessed at pre-treatment and post-treatment on a task of social problem-solving skills and two secondary measures of socialisation and work profile using self- and caregiver-report. Using a variety of methods, the results showed that scores were significantly higher at post-treatment in the social problem-solving task and socialisation skills based on reports by parents. Differences in comparison to the control group had decreased after treatment. The treatment was acceptable to families and subject adherence was high. The Interpersonal Problem-Solving for Workplace Adaptation Programme appears to be a feasible training programme.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2015 · doi:10.1177/1362361314522354