Let

1
Lets Socialize Social
Skills Training
for Adolescents with Aspergers

• Presented By
• Lorra Kapteyn Simcoe Community Services
• Evangelo Boutsis Behaviour Management Services of
  York and Simcoe

2
Background to Project

• Project funded by the Ministry of Child and Youth
  Services (MCYS).
• Intent of project is to evaluate the outcome of
  Central East regional programs designed to
  provide clinical treatment services for
  transitional aged youth with ASD.
• It is hoped that we gain an understanding of the
  best practices to use with this population.
• Lake Ridge Community
  Support Services (2007)

3
Project Progress

• Proposals submitted
• Three projects selected
• Annual funding provided for each project
• One time funding provided for service evaluation.
• Preliminary reports submitted to MCYS
• May 2007
• May 2008
• Final report to be submitted May 2008
• Lake Ridge Community
  Support Services (2007)

4
Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Autism is a complex neurological disorder that
  affects nearly 1 in 165 children. In Ontario
  alone, there are approximately 70,000 people with
  one of a range of Autism Spectrum Disorders
  (ASD) - autism (the most severe), Pervasive
  Developmental Disorders, not otherwise specified
  (PDD-NOS), and Aspergers Syndrome (Schopler
  Mesibov,1986)
• 
  Susan Kasprzak (2008)

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Autism Spectrum Disorder Continued

• ASD is characterized by problems associated with
  processing and responding to information
• Social deficits may be considered the primary
  defining aspect of ASD (Schopler Mesibov, 1986)
• Problems tend to fall into three categories
• Difficulty relating to others Affection, eye
  contact
• Problems with speech and non-verbal communication
  
• Limited and repetitive interests and behaviour
  repetitive behaviours, rituals, and obsessions
  are characteristic of those with ASD
• 
  
• 
  Susan Kasprzak (2008)

6
Autism Spectrum Disorder Continued

• Research studies conducted with children with ASD
  have shown that effective intervention can have a
  positive impact on social skills (Matson,
  Macklin Helsel, 1983 Taras, Matson Leary,
  1988)
• Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) has been well
  documented over the last fifty years as a
  positive treatment for autism, specifically in
  the areas of speech, social skills, self-help
  skills, play, and reducing acting out behaviours
  often consistent with autism (Autism Support
  Network, 2005)
• 
  Susan Kasprzak (2008)

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Applied Behaviour Analysis

• the process of systematically applying
  interventions based on the principles of learning
  theory in order to improve socially significant
  behaviours to a meaningful degree (Baer, Wolf
  Risley, 1968)
• ABA is used in the following ways
• To increase behaviours (reinforcement)
• To teach new skills (instruction and
  reinforcement)
• To maintain behaviours (teaching self control and
  self-monitoring)
• To generalize or transfer behaviour
• To reduce conditions under which interfering
  behaviours (e.g., self-injury) occur
• To reduce interfering behaviours
• 
  Susan Kasprzak (2008)

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Introduction Social Skills Training

• Consistent with MCYS Autism Intervention Program
  Guidelines (August 2006) the overall intent of
  these programs was to utilize Applied Behaviour
  Analysis (ABA) principles to teach teens on the
  ASD spectrum social skills
• Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) principles are
  taught to caregivers so that they can be applied
  in the home to further develop and enhance their
  adolescents social skills
• 
  
• 
  Susan Kasprzak (2008)

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Introduction Social Skills Training

• Two Types of Training Offered
• Social Skills
• Social Sexual knowledge
• Offered To
• Adolescents diagnosed with Aspergers or high
  functioning Autism
• Caregivers

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Program Overview

• Groups for adolescents and their caregivers were
  offered once a week
• Six consecutive weeks
• Two hour weekly sessions
• Groups took place in same building (SCS)
• Caregivers were assigned weekly homework

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Adolescent Program Overview

• Adolescents ages 12-16 diagnosed with ASD
• Two curriculums developed
• Social Skills Training
• Assertiveness skills Greetings, starting
  conversations
• Self-Control Skills calming strategies, anger
  management skills
• Empathy Skills identifying emotions, non-verbal
  cues
• Resources used Preparing for Life by Jed Baker,
  Circles program, Be Cool Series
• Social Sexual Knowledge Training
• Relationships, boundaries, private vs. public
  (behaviours/places/clothing), forms of intimacy
  etc..
• Resources used Circles program, YAI
  relationship series

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Adolescent Group Format

• Social skills and social sexual groups session
  order of tasks/activities includes
• 1) Check- in
• 2) Review last weeks skill/topic
• 3) Teach this weeks target social skill/topic
• 4) Practice this weeks target skill/topic
• 5) Break
• 6) Activity
• 7) Free time
• 8) Reward Store (participants can submit earned
  stickers for item for reward store)

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Parent Program Overview

• Parent group ran concurrently to their adolescent
  group
• Two curriculums were developed
• Social Skills
• Introduction to applied behaviour analytic
  principles/strategies
• Practice and discussion on strategies to
  facilitate target social skills/other appropriate
  behaviour
• Discussions and support of parental concerns
• Resources used Preparing for Life by Jed Baker,
  Circles program/Be Cool Series
• Social Sexual Skills
• Introduction/review of applied behaviour analytic
  principles/strategies
• Resources used Circles program/YAI relationship
  series
• Discussions and support of parental concerns

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Teaching Methods Adolescent Group

• Individualized
• Building on skills
• Concrete
• Reinforcement
• Set Up for Success
• Repetition/Practice
• Taking advantage of opportunities
• Generalization
• Supportive
• Make it fun!!

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Group Activity

• Putting it all together!!!

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Method Participants Settings

• Individuals served to date
• 20 Adolescents (5 Females, 15 Males)
• 37 Caregivers (Parent/Guardian)
• Ages 12 16
• Setting
• Simcoe Community Services/Behaviour Management
  Services Simcoe
• Separate rooms in same building

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Method Data Collection

• Design
• Single Case AB Design and Multiple Baseline
  Design
• Pre-Post Questionnaires and Observational
  Measures

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Method Common Measures

• Social Skills Group
• Social Skills Rating System (SSRS)
  (Student/Parent)
• Vineland Adaptive Scale II (Parent)
• Quality of Life (Student)
• Behaviour measure by percentage of change
  (Student)
• Social Sexual Groups (developed by SCS and BMS)
• Social Sexual Knowledge Measure (Student)
• Parent Comfort Talking about Sex (Parent)

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Method Procedure

• Pre-treatment assessment Psychometric measures,
  skill probes and interview.
• Weekly 2 hour group training sessions for 6 8
  adolescents for six consecutive weeks.
• Bi-weekly or weekly concurrent parent group
  training sessions.
• Assigned bi-weekly or weekly homework for parents
  and teens
• Follow-up period occurs between 1-3 months after
  the last session
• Re-administer psychometric measures during
  follow-up period

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Results Social Skills Group 1

• Adolescents 2,3, and 5 standard scores were
  statistically significant

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Results Social Skills Group 2
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Results Social Skills Group
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Results Social Sexual Knowledge
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Results Social Sexual Knowledge
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Results Social Sexual Parent Comfort Talking
about Sex
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Results Teen Participant Feedback
Groups made me feel that others are similar to
me (Participant A,) I didnt know the basic
steps of conversations (Participant B) Ever
since I have started in your group I have been
inspired. Through last week I made awesome
progress in school. I still need to work on my
skills at home and I know you can help me. I
thank you so, so, so, so MUCH!! Thanks
again (Participant C)
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Results Feedback from Parents

• I would like to offer my sincere thanks for
  the great job done by the workers operating the
  social skills program. Our son took part and
  really enjoyed it. All of these young people were
  fantastic, and made the program very successful.
  Thanks again Vicki Howard, John Clarke, Charity
  Gunn, Lorra Kapteyn, Evangelo Boutsis and Jamie
  Ellis. I hope your efforts and expertise are
  recognized.(Parent A)

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Results Feedback on Parent Training

• Enjoyed seeing their children progress through
  watching videos
• Thought the program was terrific and truly
  enjoyed it!
• It is therapeutic to share and sharing helped to
  bring out ideas
• I found the leaders to be very informative,
  providing great strategies and caring
• The best part was sharing similar experience,
  ideas, and solutions

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Future Directions

• Continue to provide both the social sexual and
  social skills training groups in Simcoe County
• Look into possible changes to the length of the
  group or sessions
• Continue to integrate strategies to promote
  generalization
• Continue with the evaluation of the program

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Thank You

• All the teens and their families who participated
• Jamie Ellis
• Kirsten Goodman
• Charity Gunn
• Deb Skelhorn
• John Clarke
• Vicki Howard