The Secret Agent Society Social-Emotional Skills Program for Children with a High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Parent-Directed Trial

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  • Author(s): Sofronoff, Kate; Silva, Jenni; Beaumont, Renae
  • Language:
    English
  • Source:
    Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. Mar 2017 32(1):55-70.
  • Publication Date:
    2017
  • Document Type:
    Journal Articles
    Reports - Research
  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://sagepub.com
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      16
    • Subject Terms:
      Foreign Countries; Autism; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Social Development; Emotional Development; Interpersonal Competence; Intervention; Parent Participation; Children; Measures (Individuals); Self Management; Child Behavior; Behavior Problems; Self Efficacy; Anxiety; Stress Variables; Outcomes of Treatment; Multivariate Analysis; Questionnaires; Likert Scales; Correlation; Statistical Analysis
    • Subject Terms:
      Australia
    • Accession Number:
      10.1177/1088357615583467
    • ISSN:
      1088-3576
    • Abstract:
      This study evaluated a parent-delivered social and emotional skills intervention--the Secret Agent Society (SAS) for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HF-ASD). The study was a pre-post follow-up design with an 8-week baseline period and 6-week follow-up period. Participants were 38 parents and 41 children recruited from regional/rural Queensland and metropolitan Brisbane, Australia. Child participants completed measures of social skills and emotion management, and parents completed measures related to child behavioral problems, parent self-efficacy, child anxiety, and parent emotional distress at pre-intervention, post intervention, and 6-week follow-up. Analyses of outcomes were conducted with a series of repeated-measures MANOVAs and one-way ANOVAs at post intervention and 6-week follow-up. There were significant improvements in child social skills reported by parents with gains maintained at 6-week follow-up with large effect sizes. Parent self-efficacy, child behavior, and child anxiety levels also improved significantly. In addition, outcomes from the SAS self-directed program were compared with the original clinic-based program conducted by Beaumont and Sofronoff. Results indicated greater changes in social skills outcomes in the clinic-based program and no difference between groups on emotional management strategies. The limitations of the study and clinical implications are discussed.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Number of References:
      36
    • Publication Date:
      2017
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1130094