Social skills improvement in children with high-functioning autism: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Clinical Psychology
• Pediatric Psychiatry

Background:

• High-functioning autism (HFA) presents social interaction challenges without intellectual disability.
• Evidence-based interventions are crucial for improving social skills in HFA.
• Randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy of social skills programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a Social Skills Training Group-based Program (SST-GP) versus a Leisure Activities Group-based Program (LA-GP).
• To evaluate the impact on facial emotion perception and quality of life (QoL) in young people with HFA.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving children and adolescents diagnosed with HFA.
• Participants were assigned to either the SST-GP or LA-GP for a 6-month duration.
• Facial emotion labeling accuracy (DANVA2) and QoL were assessed as primary and secondary outcomes.

Main Results:

• The SST-GP group showed significant improvement in recognizing anger in adult facial expressions, unlike the LA-GP group.
• Improvements in the SST-GP were linked to better recognition of low-intensity emotional stimuli.
• Quality of life, particularly in the school environment, increased in the SST-GP cohort.

Conclusions:

• The SST-GP is more effective than the LA-GP in enhancing social perception and QoL for young individuals with HFA.
• Findings suggest that social skills training can facilitate the transfer of learned skills to community settings.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is recommended to validate these results.