Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities - Division on ...

to promote social skills <strong>in</strong> children with autism
spectrum disorders. The results of the present
study are consistent with those of previous
meta-analysis <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g that social skills <strong>in</strong>terventions
are m<strong>in</strong>imally effective for children
with ASD (Bell<strong>in</strong>i et al. 2007; Vaughn et al.,
2003). The exception to this is video model<strong>in</strong>g;
that <strong>in</strong>tervention was shown to meet the
criteria for evidence based practice, as well as
be<strong>in</strong>g highly effective. Practitioners implement<strong>in</strong>g
video-model<strong>in</strong>g as a method for
teach<strong>in</strong>g social skills can do so with greater
confidence of its effectiveness. While social
stories <strong>and</strong> peer-mediated strategies can be
said to be evidence-based practices, practitioners
should monitor these strategies closely
when implement<strong>in</strong>g them as they may have
limited effectiveness. Other strategies should
be implemented carefully, with the underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g
that they have not met criteria as
evidence-based practices, <strong>and</strong> require cont<strong>in</strong>uous
monitor<strong>in</strong>g for effectiveness.
Most of studies <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> this review were
conducted by researchers with a few exceptions
that were implemented by classroom
teachers, paraprofessionals or parents. However,
social skills tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> general is carried
out by teachers <strong>and</strong> parents <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tegrated sett<strong>in</strong>gs.
If the <strong>in</strong>terventions implemented by
professional researchers yield mixed results, it
would be a real challenge for classroom teachers
<strong>and</strong> parents with limited resources <strong>and</strong>
time to achieve the same or better outcomes.
Limitations
This synthesis only evaluated social skills <strong>in</strong>terventions
for children with ASD published between
1997 <strong>and</strong> August 2008. Evaluat<strong>in</strong>g studies
over a longer period of time may have
resulted <strong>in</strong> more <strong>in</strong>terventions meet<strong>in</strong>g the
criteria for evidence-based practice, or more
studies demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g a higher level of effectiveness.
However, the criteria for evidencebased
practices were only recently established;
studies done before 1997 would have been
even more less likely to meet those criteria.
We also only looked at studies that were primarily
implemented <strong>in</strong> school-based sett<strong>in</strong>gs;
the effectiveness of these <strong>in</strong>terventions on social
skills <strong>in</strong> community sett<strong>in</strong>gs or for adults
with ASD cannot be determ<strong>in</strong>ed from this
meta-analysis.
Suggestions for Future Research
Although our <strong>in</strong>itial search of the literature
found 104 studies that targeted social skills, <strong>in</strong>
the end only 38 of those met criteria to be
evaluated as evidence-based practice, as well as
allow<strong>in</strong>g for the calculation of treatment effects.
Future research <strong>in</strong> this area should be
planned <strong>and</strong> implemented <strong>in</strong> such a way that
meets the criteria for evidence-based practice,
as well as reports treatment effects.
Most of the studies targeted students between
the ages of 5-12; many of the rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g
studies targeted preschool children. Only
three studies were implemented with <strong>in</strong>dividuals
over 12 years of age. Studies target<strong>in</strong>g
these older children would be beneficial <strong>in</strong>
determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g if particular <strong>in</strong>terventions are
more effective with this age group.
Generalization of skills is an <strong>in</strong>tegral component
of social skills <strong>in</strong>terventions. Future
studies are needed to exam<strong>in</strong>e the generalization
of skills across multiple sett<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>and</strong> with
multiple persons. Researchers <strong>and</strong> teachers
should create an explicit plan for promot<strong>in</strong>g
generalization when develop<strong>in</strong>g a social skills
<strong>in</strong>tervention.
S<strong>in</strong>gle subject designs were used to evaluate
<strong>in</strong>tervention effects <strong>in</strong> 36 out of the 38 studies
<strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> this review. Multiple basel<strong>in</strong>e designs
were utilized <strong>in</strong> almost all of the studies
to establish the experimental control. Although
such designs are well-suited to demonstrate
analyses, certa<strong>in</strong> limitations do apply—it
does not allow for comparison of different
<strong>in</strong>terventions. Future research is needed to
determ<strong>in</strong>e which <strong>in</strong>tervention is most effective
for which students. Compound<strong>in</strong>g this limitation
is the presence of near or at zero basel<strong>in</strong>e
performance by the participants <strong>in</strong> many studies.
Because most social skills <strong>in</strong>terventions are
likely to boost social <strong>in</strong>teraction above the
floor levels, comparative analysis can assist researchers
<strong>in</strong> identify<strong>in</strong>g which <strong>in</strong>tervention
achieves this objective most effectively.
References
References marked with an asterisk <strong>in</strong>dicate studies
<strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> the meta-analysis.
*Apple, A. L., Bill<strong>in</strong>gsley, F., & Schwartz, I. S.
(2005). Effects of video model<strong>in</strong>g alone <strong>and</strong> with
self-management on compliment-giv<strong>in</strong>g behav-
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