Examining the Maintenance of Effects of a Social Competence Intervention (SCI-A)

Background: Youth with ASD experience social competence deficits that impact their ability to make and sustain friendships, initiate and maintain social interactions, and understand emotions in themselves and others. Without targeted intervention services, these youth often exhibit problematic social behaviors and can become socially withdrawn, which negatively impacts their quality of life and can lead to other developmental skill deficits. Research demonstrates that many social skills interventions, although successful, do not demonstrate lasting or generalized outcomes (Bellini, et al., 2007; Stichter, et al., 2007). More specifically, few studies actually examine the maintenance of treatment effects over time via follow-up assessments.

Objectives: The Social Competence Intervention for Adolescents (SCI-A) is a targeted program designed to meet the specific social needs (see Stichter, et al., 2010 for program description) of youth with ASD or similar challenges. This study examined the potential maintenance of the positive treatment effects noted for SCI-A participants at a 6-month follow-up assessment.

Methods: All participating students (and one teacher per student) completed a battery of assessments two weeks before and two weeks after SCI-A participation (n=24 students). The battery consisted of teacher reports of social behaviors and executive functioning and student performance of facial expression recognition and executive functioning; this battery was repeated at follow-up (the end of one semester after SCI-A; approximately 5-6 months after post-testing). The current sample includes 16 SCI-A participants who consented to complete follow-up assessments. Pre to post assessment scores were examined via paired t-tests. In the cases of significant intervention gains, additional paired t-tests were conducted on pre- and follow-up assessment scores to investigate if students, at minimum, continued to evidence improvements relative to baseline.

Results: The 16 participants included 14 boys and 2 girls (M_age at follow-up=13.99 years, SD=1.48). Overall, results indicated significant gains between pre- and post-assessment scores on 14 variables, including teacher reports of social behaviors (SRS Total; t=2.96, p<.05), teacher reports of executive functioning (BRIEF GEC; t=2.59, p<.05), and student performance assessments of executive functioning (e.g., DKEFS Design Fluency; t=3.49, p<.01). Of these, results indicated that scores at follow-up remained significantly better than scores at pre for five assessments (ps < .05). Three assessments showed improvements at the trend level (ps < .10).  The remaining six assessments evidenced improved mean scores at follow-up, but these scores were not significantly different from baseline.

Conclusions: This preliminary evidence suggests that students experienced gains in social behavior and executive functioning after SCI-A program participation. Furthermore, students maintain some of these improvements up to six months later. Implications for understanding and promoting maintenance effects will be discussed.