Social skills interventions for children with autism

Autism is characterized by deficits in pretend play, perspective taking, initiating and responding to others, and other profound social impairments. As the incidence of children being identified with autism increases, so does the need for effective interventions that target social skills development. Over the last decade, social skills interventions have become more sophisticated, incorporating video technology and naturalistic teaching procedures. Many of these studies have been shown to generalize across settings, participants, and to individuals not directly involved in these studies. Although the small sample sizes make generalization of findings to the population at large somewhat problematic, continued replication of these studies and the development of increasingly sophisticated social skills interventions may lead to broader interpretation and application. This article reviews critical research conducted over the past 15 years on social skills interventions. To aid in the implementation of these interventions, suggestions for application and a list of references follow the review. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 717–726, 2007.