PMID 20858470

Parent Assisted Group Treatment for Friendship Problems of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Frankel F., Whitham C. Mar 2011

Background

Fred Frankel’s research article “Parent-assisted group treatment for friendship problems of children with autism spectrum disorders” focuses on effective social etiquette skills treatment which engages the parent in an active treatment role. Children with autism spectrum disorders who are placed in regular education classrooms report poorer quality of friendships.

Introduction

Goal: Determine whether Children's Friendship Training (CFT) through parent support and peer play-dates improves social skills in autistic children.

Methods

Intervention topics covered:

Session 1: Group Rules training
Session 2: Two-way conversational skills
Session 3: Joining group play activities
Session 4: Rejection coaching
Session 5: Praise, persuasion, and negotiation
Session 6: Entry into a group of younger children
Session 7: Hosting
Session 8: Teasing
Session 9: Competition
Session 10: Being a good winner
Session 11: Dealing with bullies
Session 12: Post-treatment assessments

Parent outpatient treatment consisted of parent-organized play dates, promoting friendship at school and at home, and an easy transition to community treatment settings.

Results

Conclusion

Discussion

Frankel’s article shows that Children Friendship Training with Parent-mediated intervention is a promising solution in helping children with autism spectrum disorders with peer acceptance and loneliness issues. One limitation of the study is that aggression and withdrawal did not significantly change in the school setting.