Short-term Outcome of Social Skills Group Therapy Intervention in School Aged Children With Autism

To study the impact of social skills group training (SSGT) in children with autism aged 8-12 years. To compare baseline (T1), post-intervention immediate (T2) and 3 months post-intervention (T3) scores.

Single-arm interventional study in 30 children with autism, aged 8-12 years with intelligence quotient >70. Interdisciplinary therapists conducted a 90-minute weekly SSGT (10 sessions) for 3 months (August-October, 2019). Outcomes were evaluated with standardized tests- Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS), Vineland Social Maturity Scale- Social Quotient (VSMS-SQ), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), Parent Rated Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (pSRS-2) done at baseline and at T2 and T3.

The mean (SD) scores at T1 and T3 were as follows: VSMS score at T1 was 66.63 (5.05), T3 was 71.03 (5.84) (P<0.001); SQ at T1 = 75.99 (6.399), T3 = 79.83 (8.94) (P=0.016), respectively.  The mean (SD) SCQ score at T1 was 27.3 (12.28), T2 was 25.8 (6.36), T3 = 27.1 (7.16) (P>0.05 for T1- T2, T2-T3, P=0.013 for T1-T3). The mean (SD) pSRS-2 score at T1 = 83.5 (6.68), T2 = 80.1 (7.87), T3 = 76.9 (8.07) (P<0.001), showing decline in severity after SSGT.

Weekly SSGT done over 3 months showed significant improvement in social skills, which were sustained up to 3 months post-intervention.