The Effect of an Occupational Therapy Role-Playing Intervention on the Social Skills of Adolescents With Asperger's Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The purpose of the authors in this pilot study was to assess the effects of an occupational therapy role-playing intervention for adolescents with Asperger's syndrome. An ABA multiple baseline single-subject design across participants was used with three adolescents to determine if a six-week intervention could increase targeted social behaviors. Data were collected over baseline, intervention, and probe phases. Three methods of analysis were used: visual inspection of graphed data, paired t tests, and a three standard deviation-band approach. Findings demonstrated that all three participants were able to increase the frequency of targeted social skill use from baseline to intervention and maintain this level at a one month probe. Differences between baseline and intervention phases for each participant reached statistical significance. Through this study the authors offer preliminary evidence that an occupational therapy role-playing intervention that is both client centered and graded can increase targeted social skill use in three adolescents with Asperger's syndrome.