(PS4-35) Does Gender Influence Social Skill Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? Investigating the Impact of CFT on Social Skill Development in Elementary School Aged Children

Friday, November 15, 2024

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST

Location: Franklin Hall, Level 4, Marriott Downtown

Author(s)

Sadie A. Calvano, None

Research Assistant
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States

Co-Author(s)

RF

Reina Factor, Ph.D.

Attending Psychologist UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States
SN

Shriya Nayyar, B.A.

Clinic Coordinator
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States
Ashley Johnson, None

Assistant Clinic Coordinator
UCLA Health
Los Angeles, California, United States

Abstract Text: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability characterized by difficulties in social domains (e.g., social norms, communicating, developing friendships) and restricted and repetitive behaviors (CDC, 2022). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 1 in 36 children have an ASD diagnosis, with males being 3.8 times more likely to receive a diagnosis than females (Maenner et al., 2020; Shaw et al., 2023). Therefore, females are commonly excluded from ASD literature or make up a small percentage of the sample (Head et al, 2014). Consequently, it is difficult to develop a clear understanding of profiles for autistic females, however, research has indicated that females comparatively engage in more socially normative behaviors such as vivid nonverbal communication and that these may mask core symptoms, ultimately resulting in an under-diagnosis of girls with ASD and the “female camouflage effect” (Mandy et al., 2012; Ratto et al., 2017). Nonetheless, autistic females require social supports as they navigate the social world (Huston & Huston, 2023). UCLA's Children’s Friendship Training (CFT) has been indicated as an evidence-based social skills curriculum (Frankel, et al, 2010). One study compared CFT participants to a delayed treatment control group (DTC) and found that children who completed CFT had higher scores on measures of social skill and play behavior, compared to the DTC group post-treatment (Frankel, et al, 2010). While this work considered all children with social difficulties, the current study specifically examines 2nd to 5th grade children with a pre-existing diagnosis of ASD (n = 23) who completed a 12-week social skills CFT intervention via Telehealth, focusing on gender differences. Utilizing a Telehealth platform for the CFT intervention not only provides families with greater access to behavioral health care, but also expands the reach of psychological support beyond geographical limitations. The participants of this quasi-experimental study included 15 male children (n = 15) and 8 female children (n = 8). The development of social skills have been examined via the Social Skill subscale of the Social Skills Improvement System rating scale (SSIS) pre- and post- intervention.The SSIS is designed to assess social skill deficits in children through parent report in three main domains: Social Skills, Problem Behaviors, and Academic Competence (Crosby, 2011). However, only the Social Skills domain scores were utilized for the purposes of this study. The findings of this quasi-experimental study indicate significant improvement in both females (p = 0.02) and males (p = 0.001). These results illustrate that across gender, autistic children successfully develop greater social skills post a 12-week Telehealth CFT intervention. The findings of this research further provide evidence that can inform the development of effective social skill interventions tailored to meet the needs of all autistic children.