Effectiveness of Social Skills Training Group for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effectiveness of Social Skills Training Group for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04551313
• Other study ID #: 202006158RINA
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: October 19, 2020
• Est. completion date: July 27, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: August 2023
• Source: National Taiwan University Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Socio-communicative impairments are core deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Individuals with ASD have difficulty understanding eye contact, facial expressions, body language, and different tones of voice when communicating with others. They can't interpret the thoughts and feelings of others, or predict social events, and the impaired social skills may lead to rejection of peers and poor participation in school.

Social skills training targets the core symptoms of ASD. Empirical support is building for cognitive-behavioral intervention approach, social skills training group for verbally fluent, school-aged children with ASD. Several studies have shown the efficacy of the social story intervention. It is usually provided individually, but we want to use it in the group.

Description:

Many different intervention program have been used throughout the world. One alternative method used to teach children is the social stories method, which was created by Gray (1993) to address the social difficulties of children with ASD. The theoretical framework of the social stories is based on theory of mind (TOM) hypothesis. Difficulties associated with the impaired TOM was addressed by explaining the complex social concepts in simple words and often include the description of perspectives of others. Several studies have shown the efficacy of the social story intervention. It is usually provided individually, but we want to use it in the group.

In this study, we plan to randomly assign thirty-six 5-7-year-old children with ASD to one of two kinds of social skills groups: the social skills group or the play activities group (control condition). Group met for 16 weeks, one time per week, one hour each time. Participants were recruited between October 2020 and September 2023. Assessment were conducted at baseline and endpoint (16 weeks). To empower parents, we would also ask parents of participants to attend our treatment and lecture.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 86
• Est. completion date: July 27, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: July 27, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 5 Years to 6 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria:

• Clinical diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorder

• Must be able to understand 3-steps verbal commands

Exclusion criteria:

• Mental retardation

• Seizure

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autistic Disorder
• Child Development Disorders, Pervasive

Intervention

Behavioral:
• social skill group
We plan to address basic interactional and conversational skills first, then focus on teaching perspective-taking and theory of mind skills.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Taiwan	National Taiwan University Hospital	Taipei
Taiwan	NTUH	Taipei

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
National Taiwan University Hospital

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Taiwan, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	GAS (Goal attainment scale)	interview caregivers about specific social interaction goals for the children and give rating 1-5 to calculate the extent to which a parent's goals are met.	the first week and the 15th week of the duration
Primary	Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale	to assess the socialization skill of the children.	the first week and the 15th week of the duration