Abstract
Stable, positive relationships with colleagues or supervisors are difficult for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to maintain. Little was known in teaching social skills of students with ASD in workplace, not mentioning for those who have ASD as well as talent traits. This pilot case study aimed to use a package of cognitive behavioral training, applied behavior analysis (ABA) guidelines, and secondary-tier generic video modeling to teach workplace social skills to five young adults with ASD and talent traits. The intervention lasted for 8 weeks, with 3 hours of intervention each week. Per ABA guidelines, the authors focused on the talent traits and preferred activities of the participants with ASD, and structured the training to include a reward system and opportunities to practice learned skills in the community. Analysis using nonparametric statistics revealed a significant difference between the means of pretest and posttest scores (Z = 2.032, p < .05) on a curriculum-based assessment. Significant improvements among the participants were noted on their assessments of all five target skills, on the teacher log, and through interviews. This study requires further replication with rigorous design to make causal conclusion.
Highlights
The core characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are challenges in exhibiting reciprocity, emotional responses, and motor behaviors required for interpersonal interaction development [19]
Meaningful, integrated employment should be available for all individuals with ASD who are graduating from college and intend to work [33]
This study aims to investigate the effects of group-based video modeling (VM) package for improving workplace social skills among adults with talent traits and ASD in Taiwan and to contribute to the literature as an attention inducing pilot study
Summary
The core characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are challenges in exhibiting reciprocity, emotional responses, and motor behaviors required for interpersonal interaction development [19]. When individuals with ASD become adults, social interaction deficits continue to affect them and may worsen or cause additional problems. These individuals may face difficulties in developing relationships with colleagues or romantic relationships with people of the opposite sex, and further challenges may arise in maintaining daily lives or employment [3, 21]. These challenges are major inhibitors to employment success for adults with ASD [18]. Many reports have indicated that people with mild ASD do not have intellectual disabilities, many cannot maintain jobs and remain unemployed [21, 39]
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