The specific neuropsychological and sensory profile found in persons with autism spectrum disorders complicate dental procedures and as a result of this, most are treated under general anesthesia or unnecessary sedation. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a short treatment and education of autistic and related…

Social initiations make up a core deficit for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In particular, initiated questions during social interactions are often minimal or absent in this population. In the context of a multiple baseline design, the efficacy of using the motivational procedures of Pivotal Response Treatment to increase social…

Introduction: Despite the knowledge of good communication as a precondition for optimal care and treatment in health care, serious communication problems are still experienced by patients as well as by health care professionals. An orthopedic surgery department initiated a 3-day communication skills training course for all staff members expecting…

This study explored the effectiveness of communication training for clergy, working to create an outcomes assessment model for such endeavors. Clergy-participants (N=46) completed an extensive training process designed to increase the transformative quality of their sermon communication. Training outcomes were assessed with a prepost test design,…

A study was conducted to review and organize existing literature on the evaluation of communication skills training programs. When setting training objectives, four levels of evaluation should be considered: (1) reaction (how did participants feel about the training?); (2) learning (what did the participants learn from the training?); (3) behavior…

As counseling programs are being strained by the ever increasing needs of today's students, other methods of helping the students are being used. The peer helper program is one method that is optimistically being tried. Information is presented here on the background, training procedures, and evaluation methods (both subjective and objective) of…

Assessed the efficacy of a training program to train lay volunteers to lead a Premarital Relationship Enhancement program. Assessments of couples trained by the leader-trainees showed significant pre- to posttesting gains in their self-assessed skill levels and confidence. Premarital couples and experts rated the leader-trainees very highly.…

Examined the effects of communication skills training on adjustment to divorce and separation among women. Results indicated that the experimental group significantly increased in overall divorce adjustment and in empathy skills. No significant differences were found in perceived social support or self-disclosure skill. (Author)

This report describes the procedures followed in developing classroom observation procedures for use in evaluating the First Year Communication Skills Program (FYCSP) and Instructional Concepts Program (ICP) training systems. The procedures cover the identification of the variables to be measured, development of scales to measure these variables,…

Evaluated the effectiveness of a structured educational program to train premarital couples in communication and mutual problem-solving skills. Couples (N=26) participated in a problem-solving training program, while similar couples (N=28) participated in a relationship discussion group. The problem-solving group showed a greater increase in…

Examined the generalization effects of three methods of counselor training: cognitive-behavioral (CB), behavioral (B), and programed learning (PL). The CB group was more empathic at posttraining and demonstrated better communication skills than the PL group at follow-up. (Author)

Assessed the immediate and long-term impact of the Couple Communication Program. Married couples (N=17) were assigned to training groups. Change was assessed using self-report measures of marital adjustment and communication quality along with behavioral ratings of couple verbal interaction. Couples increased significantly on all measures at…

The scores of the officers who had undergone the training program demonstrated a significantly higher knowledge of life skills, a stronger sense of self-confidence, and a somewhat lower dogmatic attitude. (Author)

Interviews with six managers trained to teach the Interpersonal Managing Skills (IMS) program at the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company provided insights into three aspects of communication training programs: training skills, the trainer role, and methods of training the trainer. A highly structured, packaged program, IMS teaches five…

Assessed the viability of a modified microtraining approach to paraprofessional development using programed manuals and models. Therapeutic workers were randomly assigned to a model group, no-model group, and a control group. Covariance analyses indicated that training groups emitted fewer closed inquiries and had a higher interview empathy…