Developing social competence for preschoolers is an important area for early intervention, especially for young children with emotional and behavioral issues. This single case meta-analysis focused on examining the literature base for social skills interventions for preschoolers. A systematic search of the literature yielded 33 single-case studies…

Aim/Purpose: This study explores the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) application designed to teach Theory of Mind (ToM) skills to children aged 5-6, addressing the gap in research on the use of VR for typically developing children. Background: ToM is a critical skill for social interaction and understanding others' perspectives. Despite…

The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) intervention aims to build capacity within schools to support emotional wellbeing needs. Within the current evidence base, there appears to be an under-representation of student voice. This study adopted an in-depth survey design using pre, during and post intervention semi-structured interviews, to…

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) programs have proliferated significantly in recent years and they are finding their way into different educational and therapeutic purposes. This systematic review aims at analyzing the virtual reality and augmented reality programs designed to promote the development of social skills in individuals…

Possessing sufficient social skills is a crucial aspect of child development. The level of social skill that a child has is a strong predictor of their future behavioral functioning and academic achievement. Due to the impact social skills have on a child's later life, having a better understanding of how to enhance social development is…

Social skills are critical to workplace success and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by challenges with these skills contributing to a disproportionate unemployment rate. The aim of this study was to characterize interventions that focus on work-related social skills for individuals with ASD. A scoping review was conducted to map…

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…

Despite the popularity of social skills groups, there remains a need for empirical investigation of treatment effects, especially when targeting pivotal aspects of social functioning such as initiations to peers. The goal of the present study was to conduct a randomized controlled trial of a 12-week social intervention (SUCCESS), which combined an…

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…

This systematic review aims to describe six types of physical activity interventions utilized with children and young adults ages 5-22 as a treatment for ASD. These interventions include swimming, cycling, neuromuscular training, yoga, sports, and exergaming. This examines the knowledge gaps regarding the details of these interventions via time…

Peer collaboration is a foundational skill that emerges in early childhood. Children spend significant time in early educational settings, making it an important setting where young children can learn how to collaborate with peers. However, research on how to support children's collaboration effectively is limited and findings in this area have…

Purpose: A prior randomized trial found a school social intervention yielded significantly better outcomes (social and autism features) immediately following intervention compared to typical school programming (services-as-usual [SAU]) for children on the autism spectrum. In that study, children in the SAU condition subsequently completed a summer…

A prior randomized trial found a school social intervention yielded significantly better outcomes (social and autism features) immediately following intervention compared to typical school programming (services-as-usual [SAU]) for children on the autism spectrum. In that study, children in the SAU condition subsequently completed a summer social…

The generalisation of learning is one of the main elements to take into account when carrying out an educational intervention. This process involves certain difficulties for the population with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this sense, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the process of generalisation of skills related to the social…

Improving the development of the social, emotional, and physical domains during early childhood impacts the overall trajectory of a child's well-being. However, researchers often address these independently, leaving a gap for a more integrated approach to promoting development. This study explores the effects of a dual-component intervention on…