Social Groups for Australian Children on the Autism Spectrum

The Development and Evaluation of a Social Skills Group Training for Australian Children on the Autism Spectrum

This study evaluates the KONTAKT social skills group training in Australian children on the autism spectrum compared to an active control group which is a group Art class

KONTAKT is a manualized Social Skills Group Training program designed for children and adolescents with ASD which aims to improve communication, social interaction skills, reduce the severity of ASD symptoms, improve the ability to empathise and adapt in a group setting. A large randomized controlled trial in Sweden found that adolescents who participated in KONTAKT demonstrated improvements in social skills, behaviour, reduced stress and improved overall functioning as reported by parents immediately following and at three months after the program. However, social skills are at least in part influenced by social cultural contexts and there is a need to understand the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of KONTAKT in an Australian context. Moreover, in the previous studies, the social skills groups were compared to treatment as usual groups. Therefore, this study evaluates the KONTAKT social skills group training in Australian children on the autism spectrum compared to an active control group which is a group art class

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals aged 8 to 12
• Clinical consensus diagnosis of ASD as defined by DSM-5 and confirmed by the Autism Diagnostic Observation schedule-2
• IQ scores > 70 as measured by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI-II)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Existing prior comorbid externalizing behaviours as assessed by the Childhood Behaviour Checklist (CBCL).
• Clinically assessed self-injurious behaviour • Low intrinsic motivation to participate in a social skills training group
• Insufficient English language skills