A Peer-mediated Vocational Social Skills Program for Young Adults With Autism

Study Summary

The Assistive Social Skills and Employment Training program (ASSET) is an occupationally-based, work-related social skills intervention, designed to address the pre-employment and mental health needs of young adults with high-functioning autism in school-to-work transition. Knowing that occupational therapy (OT) services designed to address the post-secondary transition needs of this population have been largely unexplored, and recognizing the need for OT students to gain practical experience facilitating psychosocial groups, this study seeks to: (1) evaluate program impacts on participants' psychosocial functioning and work readiness, and (2) pilot the use of OT students as group facilitators. The study will follow a mixed-methods, single group design, using questionnaires and interviews to assess skills, confidence, and psychological wellness before intervention, immediately after, and at follow-up. OT students will also be interviewed and complete pre- and post-intervention assessments of clinical self-efficacy and stress. This project supports the AOTF's objectives by: (1) building OT academic program capacity to partner with university services and the autism community to improve transition outcomes in an underserved group, (2) laying the groundwork for larger, more rigorous studies of ASSET's effectiveness, and (3) gathering pilot data to support future grant applications at the federal level.

Primary Outcome

Social Responsiveness System-2 (Constantino \& Gruber, 2012), 65-item rating scale measuring social functioning categorized into five subscales: Social Awareness, Social Cognition, Social Communication, Social Motivation and Restricted Interests, and Repetitive Behavior. Each item is scored on a 4-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (not true) to 4 (almost always true). A score decrease indicates improved functioning.

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Assistive Soft Skills & Employment Training (ASSET)