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Treatments to Increase Social Awareness and Social Skills

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Evidence-Based Practices and Treatments for Children with Autism

Abstract

There is an extensive literature on methods for increasing the social awareness and social skills of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) of every diagnostic category and every age. This work varies in research quality from the mediocre to the exemplary, although the exemplary are outnumbered by the less rigorous. One reason for the focus on treating social behaviors is that qualitative impairments in social interaction are intrinsic to ASDs (APA 2000). To support people on the autism spectrum in learning sufficient social behavior to move with reasonable comfort within the wider “neurotypical” society, a great deal of work needs to be done by them and by us to help them master sufficient knowledge and skills to handle social encounters. Our teaching methods should be efficient and effective.

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Abbreviations

ADHD:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ADI-R:

Autism Diagnostic Interview – revised

ADOS:

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule

ASDs:

Autism spectrum disorders

CARS:

Childhood Autism Rating Scale

CBT:

Cognitive behavioral therapy

CGI:

Clinical global improvement

DSM-IV-TR:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition

MBD:

Multiple baseline design

NIMH:

National Institutes of Mental Health

OCD:

Obsessive–compulsive disorder

ODD:

Oppositional defiant disorder

PCIT:

Parent–child interaction therapy

PDD-NOS:

Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified

RCT:

Randomized control trial

RUPP:

Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology

SRS:

Social Responsiveness Scale

SSED:

Single subject experimental design

SST:

Social skills training

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Douglas Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Suzannah J. Ferraioli & Sandra L. Harris

Authors
  1. Suzannah J. Ferraioli
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  2. Sandra L. Harris
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, South Frontage Rd. 230, New Haven, 06520, Connecticut, USA

    Brian Reichow

  2. Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Market Street 3535, Philadelphia, 19146, Pennsylvania, USA

    Peter Doehring

  3. Yale Child Study Center, South Frontage Rd. 230, New Haven, 06520, Connecticut, USA

    Domenic V. Cicchetti

  4. Yale Child Study Center, South Frontage Rd. 230, New Haven, 06520, Connecticut, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Ferraioli, S.J., Harris, S.L. (2011). Treatments to Increase Social Awareness and Social Skills. In: Reichow, B., Doehring, P., Cicchetti, D., Volkmar, F. (eds) Evidence-Based Practices and Treatments for Children with Autism. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6975-0_6

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