Abstract
This paper reviews literature examining social skills training (SST) programs for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of the present review was to highlight the issues pertaining to SST programs for youth with high-functioning ASD in Japan and compare it to those in Western countries. Thus far, seven published studies in the Western countries have been identified and reviewed on this aspect, while twelve studies of this nature were found in Japan. The results suggested that there is a pressing need to examine SST intervention, maintenance and generalization effects, test controlled trials and randomized clinical trials (RCT) and use social skills measures to identify the skill deficits specific to youth with ASD. In order to improve the treatment effect, the use of procedures including behavior analysis strategies when target skills are selected, involvement parent-assistance or contextual skills learning in the school setting should be included in program content.
