Social skills training for adolescents with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism.
A 12-week teen social-skills group gives medium parent-noticed gains, but later RCTs show bigger effects when you add parent coaching and hybrid delivery.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Jeanie and her team ran a 12-week social skills group for teens with Asperger or high-functioning autism.
They asked parents to rate social skills and problem behaviors before and after the group.
No control group was used; everyone got the lessons.
What they found
Parents saw medium-sized gains in social competence and fewer autism-related problem behaviors after the 12 weeks.
The teens did not report change; only parent scores moved.
How this fits with other research
Płatos et al. (2022) later tested the same PEERS plan with an RCT and found large, not medium, gains.
That newer study also showed hybrid online/in-person sessions still work, so the 2007 face-to-face rule is now outdated.
Johnson et al. (2009) added parent coaching and kept the medium effect, proving the basic result holds when moms and dads help.
Gantman et al. (2012) moved the same model to young adults and still saw positive change, showing the idea stretches past teen years.
Why it matters
You can run a short group and expect parents to notice real social growth, but do not stop here. Use the newer PEERS manual, add parent coaching, and feel free to mix in Zoom nights. The 2007 pilot tells us the floor works; the later papers show you how to reach the ceiling.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The effectiveness of a social skills training group for adolescents with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism (AS/HFA) was evaluated. Parents of six groups of adolescents (n = 46, 61% male, mean age 14.6) completed questionnaires immediately before and after the 12-week group. Parents and adolescents were surveyed regarding their experience with the group. Significant pre- to post-treatment gains were found on measures of both social competence and problem behaviors associated with AS/HFA. Effect sizes ranged from .34 to .72. Adolescents reported more perceived skill improvements than did parents. Parent-reported improvement suggests that social skills learned in group sessions generalize to settings outside the treatment group. Larger, controlled studies of social skills training groups would be valuable.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2007 · doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0343-3