Social Skills Program for Young Adults With Autism Shows Promise
Social Skills Program for Young Adults With Autism Shows Promise
PEERS involves patients and caregivers to maintain social support and guidance
Laugeson agreed that is critical. To that end, PEERS participants learn steps of social interactions that people who aren't on the autism spectrum might not even think about, she said.
She gave an example of approaching a group of people and joining their conversation. "We might first teach them to watch and listen, maybe using a prop like a cell phone or gaming device to look distracted while you're sort of eavesdropping," she said. The next step, she added, would be "wait for a pause and then join in by saying something on topic, and then maybe later introducing yourself."
During practice and role play in the sessions, participants get feedback from each other, and that's crucial, Vagin said. "The feedback and support received during treatment sessions allow the young adults, as well as their caregivers, to leave with clear weekly homework [and] the sense that the assignment is attainable," she said.
Autism blogger M. Kelter, who has written about social difficulties, said that a program like PEERS might have helped him as a teen and young adult with his challenges in "basic interactions."
"I think making the program about genuine comprehension is a step in the right direction," he said. He added that the question he would ask is: "Are these trainings empowering individuals on the spectrum or teaching them to conceal their differences?" If it's the former, he said, then "these measures can be a positive thing."
Laugeson said that in developing the program, her team consulted with adolescents and young adults with autism, along with parents. One area where the two groups diverged was dating. "The teens' number one treatment priority was dating etiquette," she said, "and their least prioritized was conversational skills." The parents felt exactly the opposite.
Laugeson and her colleagues ultimately incorporated dating etiquette into their young adult version of PEERS. "Even though many of the young adults are not actively dating, most are pretty curious about it, and we want to make sure that they know what they're doing," she said.
This disconnect between what social skills patients and parents want emphasized might reflect a broader misconception about autism. Because so many people still see it as a condition of childhood, said Laugeson, "we're just not doing enough, unfortunately, for adults."
Program Promising for Young Adults With Autism
PEERS involves patients and caregivers to maintain social support and guidance
Laugeson agreed that is critical. To that end, PEERS participants learn steps of social interactions that people who aren't on the autism spectrum might not even think about, she said.
She gave an example of approaching a group of people and joining their conversation. "We might first teach them to watch and listen, maybe using a prop like a cell phone or gaming device to look distracted while you're sort of eavesdropping," she said. The next step, she added, would be "wait for a pause and then join in by saying something on topic, and then maybe later introducing yourself."
During practice and role play in the sessions, participants get feedback from each other, and that's crucial, Vagin said. "The feedback and support received during treatment sessions allow the young adults, as well as their caregivers, to leave with clear weekly homework [and] the sense that the assignment is attainable," she said.
Autism blogger M. Kelter, who has written about social difficulties, said that a program like PEERS might have helped him as a teen and young adult with his challenges in "basic interactions."
"I think making the program about genuine comprehension is a step in the right direction," he said. He added that the question he would ask is: "Are these trainings empowering individuals on the spectrum or teaching them to conceal their differences?" If it's the former, he said, then "these measures can be a positive thing."
Laugeson said that in developing the program, her team consulted with adolescents and young adults with autism, along with parents. One area where the two groups diverged was dating. "The teens' number one treatment priority was dating etiquette," she said, "and their least prioritized was conversational skills." The parents felt exactly the opposite.
Laugeson and her colleagues ultimately incorporated dating etiquette into their young adult version of PEERS. "Even though many of the young adults are not actively dating, most are pretty curious about it, and we want to make sure that they know what they're doing," she said.
This disconnect between what social skills patients and parents want emphasized might reflect a broader misconception about autism. Because so many people still see it as a condition of childhood, said Laugeson, "we're just not doing enough, unfortunately, for adults."
Source...