The Multi-Media Social Skills Project for Adults

The Multi-Media Social Skills Project for Adults: Validation of an Intervention for Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study is investigating the development of a social skills training program for adults with Asperger's Syndrome or high-functioning autism, ages 18 to 35 years. The Principal Investigator for this study is Dr. Michael Murray, the director of the Autism Studies Division at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. The purpose of this study is to adapt a social skills training program to address and enhance the social skills of adults with Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism.

During group study visits, a group of six young adults with Asperger's Syndrome or high-functioning autism will meet weekly for about 90 minutes. The purpose of the group sessions is to work on everyday social skills such as initiating and maintaining conversations, establishing friendships, and dealing with situations such as job interviews and dating. A generalization session will be held every week after the group therapy session with same-age peers who have been screened to participate in the study. The purpose of including peers in the class is to give young adults with Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism a chance to practice the social skills learned in the group study visit with a peer group. Study participants will be paired with a typically developing peer for an outing in the community to a nearby restaurant or shop or an in-class exercise such as a mock job interview.

The intervention is a 16-week social skills therapy program that will consist of a 90 minute group therapy session followed by a 90 minute peer generalization session meeting once per week. Each cohort will consist of 6 adolescents with Aspergers or high-functioning autism, who will be joined by 6 typically-developing peers for the peer generalization portion. During the group therapy session young adults will discuss and watch video clips addressing social skills topics relevant to their age group. They will have a chance to practice these skills when paired with typically developing peer volunteers.

The Social Responsiveness Scale - Adult is used to measure levels of social awareness, cognition, communication, motivation, and autistic mannerisms in adults.

Participants will be filmed in a brief interaction with a typically developing peer which will be coded to obtain social interaction skills and fluency scores.

Participants will be filmed in a brief interaction with a typically developing peer. These videos will be analyzed for indicators of social fluency such as eye contact, seconds of silence and number of questions asked.

Participants will be filmed in a brief interaction with a typically developing peer. These videos will be analyzed for indicators of social fluency such as eye contact, seconds of silence and number of questions asked.

The Social Responsiveness Scale - Adult is used to measure levels of social awareness, cognition, communication, motivation, and autistic mannerisms in adults.

Inclusion Criteria: Between 18 and 35 years of age Must be a Pennsylvania resident A primary diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome or high-functioning autism, as confirmed by the SRS-2 A verbal IQ of 85 or above on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition English as primary language spoken Ability to fluently speak in full sentences Exclusion Criteria: A significant language delay Difficulty with aggression directed at peers A primary thought disorder A secondary disorder of anxiety or depression so severe as to prevent the individual's participation in the treatment A current high school student at start of intervention Low social motivation demonstrated through formalized assessment and/or by responses given to screening interview