Impact of a Structured Social Skills Training Program on Adolescents and Young Adults with Level 1 Autism

Abstract

Background/objectives: Level 1 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by challenges in social and communication skills. Despite these difficulties, individuals with level 1 ASD often exhibit average intelligence and typical language development. Improving socialisation skills in this population requires tailored approaches that address their specific needs and include targeted strategies. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured social skills training programme for adolescents and young adults with level 1 ASD.

Methods: Participants diagnosed with level 1 ASD, regardless of gender, were consecutively recruited from an outpatient clinic. The intervention involved activities from the Social Skills, Autonomy, and Awareness Module, specifically designed for adolescents and young adults. Sessions were conducted fortnightly, lasting 1.5 to 3 h each, over 17 months. Adaptive behaviour was assessed using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS) at baseline and after completing the programme. Data were analysed with SPSS version 22.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Statistical methods included automatic clustering to identify optimal clusters and Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests to evaluate variable distributions among the clusters.

Results: A total of 31 participants (77.4% female) with a mean age of 20.1 years (SD = 7.0) were included in the study. Two distinct clusters emerged. Cluster 1 (n = 8) had significantly higher mean ages and baseline Vineland II socialisation scores than Cluster 2 (n = 23). Both clusters demonstrated significant improvements in social skills following the intervention.

Conclusions: This study highlights distinct profiles within individuals with level 1 ASD, showing a clear link between age and social skill development. The intervention improved social skills for most participants, regardless of the age at which treatment began. For some individuals, alternative or augmented treatment strategies may be necessary to achieve optimal results.

Keywords: Asperger syndrome; Vineland score; autism spectrum disorder; level 1 ASD; level 1 autism; social ability; socialisation.

Figure 1

The bar chart displays the mean (SD, standard deviation) Vineland scale scores for socialisation in Clusters 1 and 2, measured at enrolment and follow-up.

Figure 2

The graph illustrates the relationship between the Vineland socialisation scores at two different time points: the enrolment assessment (on the horizontal axis) and the follow-up assessment (on the vertical axis). Each point on the graph represents a participant, with different colours indicating their cluster membership. This visual representation helps to show how socialisation scores have changed over time for each participant, with colour coding highlighting the distinct clusters.

Figure 3

The scatter plot illustrates the relationship between enrolment age (on the horizontal axis) and the Vineland socialisation score at enrolment (on the vertical axis) for both the Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 groups. Each point represents an individual participant, with Cluster 1 and 2 distinguished by different colours. The plot highlights patterns or trends in how age at enrolment correlates with socialisation scores, allowing for a visual comparison between the two clusters.

Figure 4

The scatter plot illustrates the relationship between age at follow-up (horizontal axis) and the Vineland socialisation score at follow-up (vertical axis) for the two groups, Cluster 1 and Cluster 2.

Figure 5

The figure illustrates the percentage change in Vineland socialisation scores (%) about age (in years) at follow-up for two groups: Cluster 1 and Cluster 2. Age is plotted along the horizontal axis, while the Vineland socialisation scores are displayed vertically. Each point on the graph represents a participant, with Cluster 1 marked in red and Cluster 2 in green. The lines connecting the points converge at a point representing each cluster’s centroid.