The Efficacy of a Social Skills Group Intervention Based on DeRosier Program for Improving Comunication, Cooperation, Assertion, and Empathy in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a social skills group intervention based on DeRosier Program for improving communication, cooperation, assertion, and empathy in children with autism spectrum disorders.
The study employed an A-B-A single-subject design. Using purposive sampling, three students with autism spectrum disorders were selected. The baseline was drawn for intended areas using the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS). Based on DeRosier social skills training program, training sessions were held in 20 sessions (one 40-minute session per week). Evaluation was performed using SSIS during each session and after every 3 sessions. Also, the same questionnaire was completed by the students’ trainer one month later in order to track the training results.
Based on the visual analysis of data, this program improved the skills of communication (PND for the first, second, and third participant, respectively: 85.71%, 85.71%, and 71.43%), cooperation (PND for participants, respectively: 85.71%, 71.43%, and 100%), and assertion (PND for participants, respectively: 100%, 57.71%, and 71.43%). However, it was not effective in improving empathy skills for the third participant (PND for participants, respectively: 100%, 71.43%, and 0.0%).
The results showed the effectiveness of DeRosier Program in improving social skills. The nature of group intervention and creating opportunities for practice and receiving feedback can facilitate the growth of social skills in children with autism spectrum disorders.