Preliminary Results of the Multi-Media Social Skills Project for Young Adults with ASD

Background:  Despite increases in research examining the efficacy of social skills interventions for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), few studies have targeted improving social skills in adults with ASD. This is particularly problematic as adult outcomes (e.g., employment, social contacts) for individuals with ASD have been identified as poor and services for adults are often inadequate or unavailable. 

Objectives:  The authors sought to examine the effectiveness of a pilot social skills intervention for adults with ASD. It was hypothesized that individuals who participated in the intervention would display a significant decrease in ASD symptoms and an increase in conversational social skills. Comorbid internalizing symptoms and intrusiveness were hypothesized to decrease following participation in the intervention. Finally, employment and social contacts were expected to improve. 

Methods:  Twenty-one adults diagnosed with ASD ages 18- to 35-years-old (M = 22.57, SD = 4.03) enrolled in the Multi-media Social Skills Project which was developed to increase social conversational abilities in adults with ASD. The manualized intervention included general skills building, video modeling and a peer generalization component. ASD diagnosis was confirmed via the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD; M = 22.67; SD = 3.17) and verbal IQ was estimated through administration of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Scale, Second Edition (KBIT 2; M = 93.40; SD = 18.84). Exclusionary criteria included verbal IQ below 70. Participants were included in one of four cohorts of a 16-week intervention with four to six individuals in each group. 91% were male and 95% were Caucasian. Before and after the intervention participants and a primary caregiver completed the Adult Self-Report (ASR) or Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL), as well as the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS 2). Additionally, participants completed the Social Skills Inventory at both time points. Finally, participants were contacted three months following the end of the intervention to collect short-term life events data.

Results:  Repeated-measures ANCOVAs were completed to assess for significant changes at post-intervention. Covariates included were cohort, age of participant, and verbal IQ. Participants reported a trend for decreased social communication symptoms (F = 3.91, p < .08) and participants’ caregivers reported a trend for a decrease in intrusiveness (F = 4.90, p < .08). Participants reported a significant increase in social control/social self-presentation (F = 17.40, p < .01). Finally, three-month follow-up data found that 63% had attended informal social gatherings with fellow group members, 50% of participants had either obtained a volunteer or paid position of employment or were promoted, and 13% had received a driver’s license. 

Conclusions:  The Multi-media Social Skills Project for adults with ASD was found to demonstrate significant improvements in social communication symptoms and social control/social self-presentation and a significant decrease in intrusiveness. Additionally, the majority of participants reported maintenance of relationships made through the social skills groups, as well as increases in status of employment and general independence. Current results indicate that this is a promising social skills intervention for adults with ASD.