The effects of social interactive training on early social communicative skills of children with autism.
Social-interactive training lifts early social skills in preschoolers with autism, but you must build in parent coaching and cross-setting practice or the gains fade.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors looked at 16 studies that tested social-interactive training for preschoolers with autism. They wanted to know if these games, turn-taking, and joint-attention drills really lift early social-communicative skills.
All studies used live adult or peer interaction, not worksheets or tablets. Kids were under six years old in most trials.
What they found
Across the 16 trials, social-interactive training produced clear, positive gains. Kids showed more eye contact, pointing, and back-and-forth play right after the program.
But the same data showed a warning: skills rarely moved to new toys, rooms, or people without extra help. Maintenance after the sessions stopped was also weak.
How this fits with other research
Wang et al. (2013) later pooled 115 single-case studies and found a large average effect for social-skills work. Their bigger number set confirms the 2000 review’s upbeat message.
Hong et al. (2018) zoomed in on caregiver-delivered programs. They showed the same short-term win, but gains shrank once coaching ended. This backs the 2000 warning about generalization and maintenance.
Schertz et al. (2018) gave parents a 32-week mediated-learning package. Skills held at six months, proving that longer parent coaching can solve the fade-out problem the 2000 paper flagged.
Why it matters
You can keep social-interactive training in your toolbox for preschool clients, but do not stop at table-top drills. Add parent or teacher coaching, plan practice in new settings, and schedule booster sessions. Those extra steps turn a short-term win into lasting change.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Growing attention has been directed at the relation between early social communicative skills of children with autism and subsequent development of these children's social and communicative functioning. We reviewed 16 empirical studies that investigated the effects of social interactive interventions designed to increase early social communicative skills of young children with autism by increasing their role as initiator of social interactions. To identify factors relating to treatment effectiveness, we analyzed studies in relation to participant characteristics, settings, target behaviors, training methods, and results. To determine durability of treatment, we analyzed generalization effects across persons, settings, stimuli, and time. Increases were found for social and affective behaviors, nonverbal and verbal communication, eye contact, joint attention, and imitative play. Limited generalization or maintenance of target behaviors was reported. Findings are discussed in relation to critical variables that may relate to treatment effectiveness in future research and practice efforts.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2000 · doi:10.1023/a:1005579317085