| Description |
The current study investigated the effectiveness of an evidenced-based social skills program, the Superheroes Social Skills program to determine its effectiveness with children who have autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and have been identified by teachers or parents as being highly bullied at school. Three participants with ASD, between the ages of 6 and 10, received socials skills instruction using the Superheroes Social Skills program. Along with the social skills lessons, Superheroes Social Skills includes lessons that specifically address bullying. All participants received instruction three times a week for 12 weeks. There were also eight normally developing students who attended the lessons and served as peer models. Generalization probes of social interaction during free play periods, in both a research and naturalistic setting, were conducted for each participant in order to determine treatment efficacy. After the implementation of the program, effect sizes (ES), Percentage of All Non-Overlapping Data (PAND), and Percentage of Non-Overlapping Data (PND) were calculated to examine differences in the amount of social interaction during the free play periods. The average total social engagement score for the participants showed a moderate ES using PAND (ES=0.34) and the No Assumptions method (ES=0.42). In the naturalistic setting, which was the playground at recess, large ES were found using PAND (ES=0.92) and the No Assumptions method (ES=0.85). In order to assess the program's impact on the victim's response to bullying, the participants with ASD engaged in bullying role-play scenarios during the intervention. The victim's behavioral responses were coded to determine if any changes were made. Increases in appropriate responding to bullying and the use of appropriate body language were observed across participants. Along with the observational data, the participants' responses on pre- and postmeasures of social responsiveness and victimization were compared. The results of the study suggest increases in social skills and decreases in reports of being a victim of bullying. |
