Social Competence Intervention Program Research Articles

Mixed Methods Approach to Describe Social Interaction During a Group Intervention for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Over the last 20 years, researchers have been mixing qualitative and quantitative approaches, but mixed methods research represents a new movement that arose in response to the currents of qualitative and quantitative research, considered separately. Little has been published on the use of polar coordinate analysis in psychotherapy. This type of analysis can provide detailed information and integrate the qualitative-quantitative analysis. Even less has been published on the analysis of ASD children’s behavior. The main aim of this study was to implement this mixed methods methodology to analyze patterns of social behaviors in a group of adolescents with ASD during a group social competence intervention program. Moreover, we wanted to see whether an observational scale could be combined fruitfully with polar coordinate analysis and to investigate whether typical ASD behaviors show similar interrelations (prospective and retrospective sequentialities) as behaviors observed in psychotherapy. We used an adaptation from the Social Skills Training Program (UC Davis, California). We observed that each participant took a unique course, increasing or decreasing the number and quality of their social behaviors. In accordance with previous literature, results suggest some increment in the amount of appropriate social conduct. We did not detect a generalized progress pattern but agreed that there were changes between the beginning and end of the intervention. Therefore, we consider that observational methodology is useful in the field of psychotherapy and ASD, offering detailed information about changes and development that cannot be obtained with other traditional measures, such as questionnaires.

CHANGES OF MIDDLE CHILDHOOD STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL AWARENESS IN SOCIAL COMPETENCE AND AWARENESS INTERVENTION GROUP FOR CHILDREN

Emotion awareness (EA) is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence, an essential prerequisite for the development of children's social competence. Recent scientific studies have shown that EA has a number of positive psychological outcomes. The main objective of the study was to develop and implement the EA and social competence intervention program for children (N=19, boys n=8 and girls n=11, age8 -9, M=8,05, SD=0,23) and compare the indicators of EA of middle childhood students before and after the realization of the author's program. Additional purpose of the study was the approbation of The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale for Children (LEAS-C; Bajgar&Lane, 2003) by analysis of its psychometric indicators. In total 13 sessions were carried out during the school year 2013/2014 - from the beginning of November, 2013 until the end of May, 2014. LEAS-C (Bajgar&Lane, 2003) and Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ, Porter & Cattel, 1975), observations, interviews, content analysis were used. The study results show the effectiveness of intervention programs, namely, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the EA level of children before and after the intervention program (SELF t=- 2,99, p=0,008, OTHER t=- 3,78, p=0,001, TOTAL t=- 3,58 (p=0,002<0,05). The level of EA increased and the quality of emotional vocabulary improved after the intervention program. The LEAS-C version in Latvian language of showed high internal consistency scores and high Inter-Rater Reliability between the two encoders. The paper also carries out detailed analysis of indicators of construct validity.

Social Competence Intervention Program (SCIP): A pilot study of a creative drama program for youth with social difficulties

This study explored the effects of participation in the Social Competence Intervention Program (SCIP), an innovative creative drama-based group intervention, of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), nonverbal learning disability (NLD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Eighteen participants in SCIP were compared to a clinical control group of 16 on changes in measures of social perception, social competence, and naturalistic observed social behavior. Hierarchical multiple regression model was used for all primary quantitative analyses. Interviews were conducted post-treatment to provide qualitative data. The treatment group showed significant improvement in key domains of observed social behavior in a natural setting compared to the clinical control group. Parents and children in the SCIP condition reported multiple positive changes in social functioning. These findings provide preliminary support for the use of a creative drama program for children with social competence deficits related to social perception problems.

Implementing Second Step: Balancing Fidelity and Program Adaptation

We explored Norwegian primary school teachers' fidelity in their use of Second Step, a social competence intervention program. The investigation examined teachers' (N = 17) use of the program and their perceptions of fidelity of implementation through semistructured interviews. The findings suggest that, to a large extent, teachers adapt the program to their own needs. The rationale for adapting the program is relatedto the needs of pupils, the features of the program, and teachers' individual beliefs and experiences. The extent of implementation at school level appears to influence teachers' fidelity, as teachers who reported implementing the program with greater fidelity were mostly in schools with a formalized approach.

Implementing Second Step: Balancing Fidelity and Program Adaptation

We explored Norwegian primary school teachers' fidelity in their use of Second Step, a social competence intervention program. The investigation examined teachers' (N = 17) use of the program and their perceptions of fidelity of implementation through semistructured interviews. The findings suggest that, to a large extent, teachers adapt the program to their own needs. The rationale for adapting the program is relatedto the needs of pupils, the features of the program, and teachers' individual beliefs and experiences. The extent of implementation at school level appears to influence teachers' fidelity, as teachers who reported implementing the program with greater fidelity were mostly in schools with a formalized approach.

Social Competence Intervention Program

The social competence intervention program (SCIP) is a multi-sensory intervention that includes a metacognitive component. The underlying assumption of the intervention is that some children suffer from perceptual and interpretive deficits as well as poor social skills. In this pilot program, we adapted exercises used in theatre classes to remediate these underlying deficits in children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Anecdotal evidence from the pilot study suggests that participating children began to develop some self-awareness of their feelings and behaviors and the subsequent impact on social interaction. Future refinements based on the results of this pilot are discussed.