Evidence-based robotic intervention programmes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been limited. As yet, there is insufficient evidence to inform therapists, teachers, and service providers on effectiveness of robotic intervention to enhance social development and participation of children with ASD in a real context. This study…

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to have difficulty dealing with complex social situations, which is likely related to their challenges in understanding others' perspectives, according to the Theory of Mind (ToM). The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the effect of multiple exemplar training (MET) on the…

This study examines associations between enrollment in high-quality PreK and growth in children's (N = 422; M[subscript age] = 5.63 years; 47% female; 15% Asian, 19% Black, 30% White, 31% Hispanic; 5% other or mixed race) academic, executive functioning, and social-emotional skills across kindergarten (2017-2018) and first grade (2018-2019).…

The study aimed to examine the impact of social-emotional competence (SEC) training for teachers on adolescents' SEC and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Based on the KAB behavior change model, this study constructs an analytical framework and empirically analyzes the intrinsic connection between teacher SEC training and students' SEC using…

Social skills group training is frequently used to support autistic children and adolescents in coping with everyday social demands and expectations. Meta-analytic studies suggest small to medium effect sizes. Effect moderators must be better understood to inform implementation and allow optimization of intervention protocols. Using data from two…

Purpose: Social skills difficulties among children on the autism spectrum can impede social, emotional, and academic development, especially with increasing age and social demands. This pilot study examined the efficacy of a 5-week skill-building program for children on the autism spectrum. Although effective social skills programs are available…

Social understanding competence develops in sensitive and co-regulating caregiver interactions. Parental reflective functioning (PRF) and parenting stress can affect children's social understanding. This study investigated if children's social understanding was associated with PRF and parenting stress. Parents of 305 Italian children aged from 24…

Purpose: Follow-up studies of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in early childhood that focus on friendship formation during adolescence are scarce. The present study focused on exploring characteristics possibly related to the ability to establish friendships during adolescence among children diagnosed with ASD in…

Although social participation is considered a major facet of inclusion it proves to be particularly challenging for students with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties (SEBD). To avoid the latter's exclusion it is crucial to focus on possible ways of improving the school setting for such learners. Teachers are seen as key actors in…

While intellectual curiosity has been widely studied in the field of child development, interpersonal curiosity and its association with social and emotional skills and well-being has rarely been investigated. This mixed-methods study explored the dimensions of interpersonal curiosity, examined how each dimension was associated with social and…

Background: The implicit learning deficit hypothesis claims that impaired implicit learning underlies deficits in social-communicative abilities associated with developmental language disorder (DLD). However, previous research testing this hypothesis revealed inconsistent results and largely used process-impure sequential learning tasks. Aims:…

In this study, we investigated perceived social-emotional competence (PSEC) among 373 Australian secondary school students in relation to parent ratings of social-emotional skills, and perceived teacher and parental autonomy support. Using bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling, we examined five dimensions of PSEC (perceived competence…

Background: The transition from primary to secondary school presents a challenging developmental milestone which often marks a decline in academic performance. Social-emotional skills are recognized as fundamental to academic success but longitudinal research is needed to determine the extent of their association over this transition period. Aim:…

Intervention using social stories is a widely used strategy for children with autism spectrum disorder. However, empirical studies on the efficacy of social stories in improving social interaction have yielded mixed results, and such research in China is scarce. This study examined the effectiveness of social stories for increasing social…

Purpose: In the contemporary education system, the healthy development of children is a pivotal objective. As a result, the social well-being of children became a significant component of classroom management. The aim of the study was to explore how primary school teachers in central Kerala comprehend social well-being while managing child…