Social skills training with verbal autistic adolescents and adults: a program model.
A plain BST group can lift conversation and confidence in verbal autistic teens and adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran an ongoing social-skills group for 15 verbal autistic teens and adults. They used modeling, coaching, and role-play to teach conversation and self-awareness.
The design was a case series. Staff watched how participants talked and felt about themselves during and after sessions.
What they found
Participants picked better topics and held smoother conversations. They also saw themselves more positively.
The gains were preliminary but clear enough to keep the program running.
How this fits with other research
Fradet et al. (2025) ran a similar group 41 years later. They kept the same BST core but stretched it to 17 months and tracked scores with the Vineland. Their longer, data-rich study now sets the new bar.
Koegel et al. (2024) took the idea further. They added home and school coaches and wrapped the training in just 6–7 weeks. Gains held after the group ended.
Carter et al. (2016) swapped pure coaching for a teen-made club called START. The mix of games and lessons still boosted social skills, showing the model can bend without breaking.
Why it matters
You do not need a fancy lab to help older autistic clients talk and feel better. Run a steady group with simple BST steps: show the skill, practice, give feedback, repeat. Add peer leaders or home practice if you can. Start small, then grow the circle.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
An ongoing social skills training program was implemented with 15 verbal autistic adolescents and adults. The major long-range goals were for the participants to have positive peer-related social experiences in a supportive atmosphere and to learn useful skills in this way. Short-term training objectives included how to meet other people, stay on a topic of conversation, ask questions, pay attention, and express one's feelings and emotions. Teaching techniques included modeling, coaching, and role-playing. Preliminary indications suggest that the main goals and training objectives were being accomplished and that clients were progressing in their conversational skills, their selection of relevant topics, and their perceptions of themselves. The implications of this program for the understanding and treatment of autistic adolescents and adults is described, as well as the viability of a social skills training model. The need for more research on this most important issue is highlighted.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1984 · doi:10.1007/BF02409830