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Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders pp 61–85Cite as

Social Skills Training for Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Deficits in social skills are a hallmark feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), affecting individuals across the spectrum and throughout the lifespan. Despite the pervasiveness of this impairment, social skills training programs are arguably understudied compared to other treatment approaches for ASD, with social skills intervention studies for adolescents and adults especially scarce. This chapter will outline the characteristic social deficits common among adolescents and adults with ASD, as well as provide an overview of evidence-based treatment delivery methods, empirically supported social skills programs for adolescents and adults with ASD, and research methodology for studying social skills training. Limitations of existing social skills interventions for adolescents and adults are highlighted and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Elizabeth A. Laugeson & Ruth Ellingsen

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  1. Elizabeth A. Laugeson
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  2. Ruth Ellingsen
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Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Laugeson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

  2. AJ Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

    Brian Reichow

  3. Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    James C. McPartland

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Laugeson, E.A., Ellingsen, R. (2014). Social Skills Training for Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Volkmar, F., Reichow, B., McPartland, J. (eds) Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0506-5_4

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