This cluster-randomized efficacy trial evaluated the impact of the Ready for Wages intervention, a classroom-based social skills program designed to improve the employability of youth living and being educated in juvenile justice settings. Fifteen juvenile justice facility schools participated. Data were collected from 118 classrooms: 59 treatment…

Adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have persistent difficulty developing and generalizing social communication and interaction skills. Emerging research has demonstrated that people with ASD have benefited from strategies that embed multiple-exemplar training (MET) to increase generalization of social skills.…

According to the research, community mentoring programs can influence an adolescent's social skills, academics, and social mobility. Part of the reason for this is that community-based mentoring programs can provide training and understanding of how adolescents can address situations they may encounter. In addition, community mentoring programs…

Social functioning plays a crucial role in motor performance for children with autism spectrum disorders. In this study, we investigated whether the social abilities of children with autism spectrum disorders influence their acquisition of trained fundamental motor skills and their capacity to transfer learning to untrained fundamental motor…

Background: Children with autism often face challenges in developing social-emotional skills, which are essential for their overall growth and social integration. Social robots have emerged as promising tools to support these skills; however, their effectiveness and educational applications remain uncertain, with existing research lacking…

Schools are increasingly adopting universal social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to support students' prosocial development and academic success. When adopted across contexts and student populations, SEL interventions can be implemented in different ways, particularly under typical classroom conditions that are not part of research efficacy…

Through implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions at the universal or preventative level and by using technology to implement the interventions, more youth can have the opportunity to benefit and have their socioemotional needs met. To better understand the impact virtual SEL interventions can have for potential use at the…

There has been a recent increase in research on social skills interventions for young adults on the autism spectrum. However, little is known about how autistic adults inform the design and measurement of these interventions. In this systematic literature review, 26 studies published over the past 20 + years were examined following a comprehensive…

PEERS® for Young Adults is an evidence-based program aimed at teaching social skills needed to establish and maintain close relationships, including friendship and romantic relationships. The study investigated the effects of the Polish adaptation of the curriculum on the social functioning of adults on the autism spectrum. Fifteen young adults…

Reading aloud to young children can positively impact their social and emotional development during preschool. However, further exploration is needed to determine how drama-based read-alouds (DBRAs) could enhance these benefits. In this sense, this study examined the effects of the DBRA intervention on preschoolers' social understanding, social…

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…

Research suggests that 10%-20% of preschoolers have emotional and behavioral problems that would place them at-risk for development of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Preschool children who exhibit early onset of antisocial and externalizing problem behaviors require early social-behavioral interventions focused on social skills. A…

The extent to which an intervention is perceived as socially valid significantly influences whether the intervention is selected, implemented, and maintained (Kern & Manz, 2004). Social skill interventions and evidence-based practices are often ranked with low social validity by adolescents (McCoy et al., 2016). Interventions delivered through…

It is widely assumed that (1) children with challenging behavior may lack the social-emotional skills to be successful in classroom settings and (2) instruction in social-emotional skills can help prevent the occurrence of young children's challenging behavior. However, no data are available to indicate whether specific social-emotional skills…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents with a variety of symptoms. More common symptoms present as sensory processing disturbances, social communication, behavioral issues, and motor impairments. This study aimed to determine if the Safe and Sound Listening Protocol© used to accompany occupational therapy intervention is an effective approach to…