Evaluation of the Effect of a Social Skills Program for Children and Adolescents With ASD

The social skills intervention program was based on a consented adaptation of the Social Adjustment Enhancement Intervention of the UC Davis MIND Institute (Solomon, 2004). In order to be feasible in a hospital-based service, we adapted the program to 10 sessions. Session structure included initial greeting, free play time, didactic, joke telling, and closing activities. Topics of didactic sessions were related to social competence, such as empathy, talking about feelings, and solving social problems. We also adapted the content of the sessions, including activities proposed by Solomon (2004) but also from other experts in social cognition, such as García-Winner (2000). Each group was comprised by 7-10 participants. Children groups were conducted by a clinical psychologist, a mental health nurse and the support of two master degree students. Adolescent groups were conducted by a psychologist, a psychiatrist and the support of two master degree students.