Journal
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 50, Issue 6, Pages 933-949Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2020.1796681
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Funding
- Israel Science Foundation (ISF) [1009/15]
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The study evaluated the effectiveness of the Hebrew adaptation of the PEERS (R) program, finding positive impacts on social communication in adolescents with ASD. Parental sensitivity played a crucial role in promoting social skills in this population.
Objectives A Randomized Controlled Trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hebrew adaptation of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS (R)), a parent-assisted intervention. Parental sensitivity (PS), measured in conflict and support contexts, was assessed as a predictor of adolescents' intervention-related outcomes. Design Eighty-two Hebrew-speaking adolescents (9 females), aged 12-17 years, and their parents (62 mothers), were randomly allocated into immediate intervention (II; n = 40) or delayed intervention control (DI; n = 42) groups. Participants were tested at three time-points (Pre-Post-Follow Up for II, Pre-Pre-Post for DI). Outcome measures included behavioral assessments of adolescents' social communication (SC), a social-skills knowledge test, and self, parent, and teacher reported questionnaires. PS was assessed using support and conflict parent-adolescent interactions. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess intervention effectiveness. SEM was used to examine PS pre- and post-intervention as predictors of adolescents' immediate and follow-up outcomes. Results The II group improved on adolescents' measured SC and social knowledge, on parent-(but not teacher-) reported social skills, and on self-reported empathy. Gains maintained at follow-up. The DI group showed similar gains following their intervention. Adolescents' intervention-related SC gains were negatively predicted by pre-intervention PS, and positively predicted by intervention-related PS changes in the support context. Pre-intervention PS in the conflict context positively predicted adolescent SC at follow-up. Conclusions The Hebrew-adapted PEERS (R) is an effective intervention for adolescents with ASD. PS plays an important role in the promotion of SC in adolescents with ASD and should receive clinical attention.
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