The Effects Of Theory-of-mind And Social Skill Training On The Social Competence Of Adolescents With Autism

Deficits in social communication and interaction are the main core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders.Social skills plays a crucial role in the social adjustment of an individual.On the basis of Theory of Mind Deficit of autism,this study trained three autistic adolescents on the combination of Theory of Mind and social skills.This study uses the multiple baseline design across the behavior of a single test method.The subjects were three autistic adolescents from a public special school in Hangzhou.The independent variable is the training of Theory of Mind and social skills.The dependent variable is the target behaviors in the domains of Theory of Mind and social skills.Secondly,teachers completed Social Responsiveness Scale and Test of Theory-of-Mind to test the changes of social skills and theory of mind abilities in different situations.Finally,teachers,primary caregivers and subjects completed questionnaires and interviews to analyze the social validity.The conclusions are as follows:(1)The Theory of Mind target behaviors of three subjects have immediate and sustained effect after intervention.(2)The social skills target behaviors of three subjects have immediate and sustained effect after intervention.(3)The ability of Theory of Mind and social skills of three subjects are improved after intervention.(4)Theory of Mind and social skills training has good social validity.To sum up: Theory of Mind and social skills training is effective in the intervention of social competence of autistic adolescents.