A review of social skills training for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

The present paper reviews literature on the effectiveness of social skills training (SST) programs for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It discusses the current problems and tasks for future research from eight viewpoints of previous reviews of interventions for students with ASD. Twelve studies met the predetermined eligibility criteria, and all studies suggested the effectiveness of SST programs for adolescents and adults with ASD. This study revealed that the studies could be divided into two groups. One group focuses on non-verbal communication. The other focuses on acquiring social skills and interactions with other persons. For the purpose of promoting social skills generalization, some programs explored parent involvement and training in contexts that were similar to real life. The review also indicated that few studies report generalization of skills learned in the SST program. Therefore, it would need a description of the effect size and the required sample sizes. There is a need for identifying the effects of the gender differences. Moreover, developing a program including strategies to promote social skills generalization is recommended. Additionally, it is necessary to evaluate the manualized programs with similar outcomes. Furthermore, it would be useful to select interventions based on the participants’ developmental stage and their needs.