Standardized Assessment of Social Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Social skills are innate across species. As mammals, we are social creatures and our survival depends on our abilities to socially navigate the many facets of our immediate surroundings and the world at large. Over the past six decades, there has been increased interest in describing, defining and measuring how this innate lack of social interest affects development in individuals now said to have autism spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorder is currently considered to be a set of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders which result in significant social communication deficits and restricted range of interests. Persons with autism spectrum disorder are frequently said to have social cognitive deficits which result in failure to respond appropriately to social stimuli and to develop meaningful social relationships. In this chapter, methodological problems encountered when attempting to measure social skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder are reviewed and the current measures which are in use are examined.