The Effect of a Social Stories Intervention on the Social Skills of Male Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Fatemeh Golzari,Shahram Moradi,Ghorban Hemati Alamdarloo

doi:10.1177/2158244015621599

Fatemeh Golzari, Shahram Moradi + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015621599

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Journal: SAGE Open	Publication Date: Oct 1, 2015
Citations: 20	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Linköping University, Shiraz University

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a social stories intervention on the social skills of male students with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The sample included 30 male students with ASD who were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group ( n = 15) or a control group ( n = 15). The social skills of both groups were assessed pre- and post-test using Stone and colleagues’ Social Skills Scale (which included subscales for understanding/perspective-taking, initiating interactions, responding to interactions, and maintaining interactions). The experimental group participated in 16 sessions of social stories training, while the control group did not. Overall, the results showed that the social stories intervention improved the social skills of the children with ASD in the experimental group compared with the control group. The effects of the social stories intervention were mostly evident in the subscales for understanding/perspective-taking, initiating interactions, and maintaining interactions with others. The social stories intervention had no effect on the subscale assessing ability to respond to others. The study findings emphasize the effectiveness of the social stories intervention in improving the social skills of children with ASD, which may be used by teachers, parents, or professionals who work with such children.

Highlights

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a neurobiological disorder, have features that are apparent in early childhood (Yapko, 2003)
This enabled testing of the first research hypothesis: The social stories intervention effectively improves the social skills of males with autism
The present study sought to examine the effect of social stories instruction on the social skills of male students with ASD

Summary

Introduction

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a neurobiological disorder, have features that are apparent in early childhood (Yapko, 2003). The most obvious feature of ASD is difficulty with social interactions (cf Kuoch & Mirenda, 2003). Studies have reported that the children with ASD cannot interpret the thoughts and feelings of others, or predict social events; they have difficulties initiating interactions, responding to others, and maintaining conversation; they show deficits in listening and responding to others’ requests, and in cooperating in games and other activities; some social signs, such as smiles, may be nonsensical to them (e.g., Carter, Ornstein-Davis, Klin, & Volkmar, 2005; Jahr, Eikeseth, Eldevik, & Aase, 2007; Lord & Magill-Evans, 1995; Sansosti & Powell-Smith, 2008)

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