scholarly journals An Evaluation of Individually Delivered Secret Agent Society Social Skills Program for Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunxi Lynette Tan ◽  
Trevor G. Mazzucchelli ◽  
Renae Beaumont
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Competence ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Secret Agent

High-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders display social skill deficits that can have a debilitating impact on their daily lives. The Secret Agent Society (SAS) program has been shown to be effective in improving the social skills of these children when delivered in a group setting. This pilot study evaluated whether individually delivered SAS would yield similar outcomes. Three participants were recruited for the 9-week intervention. Measures of social competence were administered at four points: pretest 1, pretest 2, post-intervention, and 6-week follow-up. Participants showed significant improvement in half of the measures assessing social competence. On a third of these measures, two participants demonstrated improvements to within the range of their typically developing peers. Follow-up results suggested that improvements were maintained at 6 weeks’ post-intervention. Limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed.

The Secret Agent Society Social-Emotional Skills Program for Children With a High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Sofronoff ◽  
Jenni Silva ◽  
Renae Beaumont
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
High Functioning Autism ◽  
Child Anxiety ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Emotional Skills ◽  
Secret Agent

This study evaluated a parent-delivered social and emotional skills intervention—the Secret Agent Society (SAS) for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HF-ASD). The study was a pre–post follow-up design with an 8-week baseline period and 6-week follow-up period. Participants were 38 parents and 41 children recruited from regional/rural Queensland and metropolitan Brisbane, Australia. Child participants completed measures of social skills and emotion management, and parents completed measures related to child behavioral problems, parent self-efficacy, child anxiety, and parent emotional distress at pre-intervention, post intervention, and 6-week follow-up. Analyses of outcomes were conducted with a series of repeated-measures MANOVAs and one-way ANOVAs at post intervention and 6-week follow-up. There were significant improvements in child social skills reported by parents with gains maintained at 6-week follow-up with large effect sizes. Parent self-efficacy, child behavior, and child anxiety levels also improved significantly. In addition, outcomes from the SAS self-directed program were compared with the original clinic-based program conducted by Beaumont and Sofronoff. Results indicated greater changes in social skills outcomes in the clinic-based program and no difference between groups on emotional management strategies. The limitations of the study and clinical implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Improving Emotion Regulation with CBT in Young Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Scarpa ◽  
Nuri M. Reyes
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
High Functioning Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Delayed Treatment ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

Background and Aims: This pilot study tested the efficacy of a developmentally modified CBT for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to teach emotion regulation strategies for reducing anger and anxiety, commonly noted problems in this population. Method: Eleven 5–7 year-old children participated in a CBT-group while parents participated in psychoeducation. Children were randomly assigned to an experimental or delayed-treatment control group. Results: From pre- to post-treatment, all children had less parent reported negativity/lability, better parent reported emotion regulation, and shorter outbursts, and also generated more coping strategies in response to vignettes. Parents also reported increases in their own confidence and their child's ability to deal with anger and anxiety. Conclusions: This study suggests that young children with high functioning ASD may benefit from CBT to improve regulation of anger and anxiety, and parent training may improve parental self-efficacy. Future studies are needed to make conclusions about its efficacy.

Long-term outcomes of parent-assisted social skills intervention for high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders

Autism ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh Mandelberg ◽  
Fred Frankel ◽  
Tina Cunningham ◽  
Clarissa Gorospe ◽  
Elizabeth A Laugeson
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Skills Intervention ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Spectrum Disorders
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document