BEYOND SOCIAL SKILLS: GROUP DYNAMICS AT SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR HIGH FUNCTIONING ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

TitleBEYOND SOCIAL SKILLS: GROUP DYNAMICS AT SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR HIGH FUNCTIONING ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2015
AuthorsSiedler, A
JournalProblems of Psychology in the 21st Century
Volume9
Issue1
Start Page20-25
PaginationContinuous
Date PublishedJune/2015
Type of ArticleOriginal article
ISSN2029-8587
Other NumbersICID: 1164435
KeywordsAsperger Syndrome, group dynamics, group intervention, groups’ roles, social skills training
Abstract

The usefulness of group social skills training in Autism Spectrum Disorder therapy has been well established. However, little is known about the group dynamics of this kind of intervention. The current multiple case studies were conducted to demonstrate that, despite of the functioning specifics of participants with ASD, processes associated with the dynamics of the group during group social skills training session may be noticeable. Intervention groups consisted of fifteen adolescents and preadolescents with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders aged between 11 to 17 years old divided into three training groups. The social skills training sessions were conducted on a weekly basis. The observation lasted for six months and it included the formation of the group, the period of stability and unexpected changes. After each group session, the therapists filled in a detailed report about the participants’ behavior and interactions between participants. Collected data were carefully analyzed for group dynamic features. It was noticed that adolescents participating in group interventions are susceptible to the influence of the group, take different individual roles and are moderately sensitive to changes in the group structure. The influence of the disorder characteristics on group dynamics was also observed. Although the results show that group dynamics can be observed at a group training for ASD, the need for further structured observation should be emphasized as a current study constituted the first approach to the subject.

URLhttp://oaji.net/articles/2015/444-1439275819.pdf
DOI10.33225/ppc/15.09.20
Refereed DesignationRefereed
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