Building Skills, Confidence, and Wellness: Psychosocial Effects of Soft Skills Training for Young Adults with Autism

Connor, Annemarie; Sung, Connie; Strain, Alicia; Zeng, Songtian; Fabrizi, Sarah

doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03962-w

Cited by 44 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Due to negative experiences being told that their behavior is not acceptable, some autistic people may find it triggering to participate in any type of class that promotes behavior change to improve relationships. This could be one reason why relatively few autistic young adults participate in such programming after high school (Connor et al, 2020;Turcotte et al, 2016). The HEARTS program is, therefore, a promising new option for the field because it is rooted in a neurodiversity perspective, is not offered in a clinical or medical setting-but through an autism advocacy organization, strives to offer information in an invitational and not prescriptive way, and does not discriminate against adults who are self-diagnosed as autistic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum (HEARTS): A feasibility test of an online class co-designed and co-taught with autistic people

Rothman

Holmes²,

Caplan

et al. 2022

Autism

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This study tested the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a six-session online class on healthy relationships for autistic individuals ages 18–44 years old ( N = 55). The content of the Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum class was informed by formative research with 25 autistic individuals, and developed collaboratively by two non-autistic professionals and seven autistic self-advocates. Fifty-five autistic people participated in Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum and completed pre- and post-surveys. The study found that it was feasible to deliver Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum online. Pairing an autistic and non-autistic person to co-teach was well-received. Participants decreased hostile automatic thoughts ( p < 0.05), involvement in dating abuse in intimate relationships ( p < 0.05), fight-or-flight response ( p < 0.05), and rejection sensitivity ( p < 0.001). Participants experienced improved flourishing ( p < 0.001), coping with rejection and jealousy ( p < 0.001), motivation to engage with others for socializing ( p < 0.05), self-compassion ( p < 0.05), and positive thinking ( p < 0.05). Scores on a measure of interpersonal competence did not change, and loneliness did not decrease. The majority of participants reported high satisfaction with the class. Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum is a promising healthy relationships promotion class that should be evaluated through a randomized controlled trial. Lay abstract The Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum class is unique because autistic people helped to develop it and co-taught it. It is an online, six-session class. The class was piloted in 2020–2021 with 55 autistic people who were ages 18–44 years old. This feasibility study found that most people who took the class liked it. Surveys filled out by the students before and after the class showed that they became less sensitive to rejection, used more positive thinking skills, and were more interested in being social. However, the class may not have made them feel less lonely. The team that invented the class is using the feedback to improve it. The class holds promise for improving the quality of friendships and dating relationships for autistic adults and should be tested further.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum (HEARTS): A feasibility test of an online class co-designed and co-taught with autistic people

Rothman

Holmes²,

Caplan

et al. 2022

Autism

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“…However, devising systems that can recognize core content or frequencies of speech/language targets may allow for more systematic measurement of skills and change in such, whether in response to different tasks, across groups, or over time. Promoting social communication and collaboration may be key to optimizing a variety of lifespan outcomes for individuals, such as employment, educational success, and relationships, areas in which young adults with ASD show well-documented vulnerabilities (Bennett, Miller, Stollon, Prasad, & Blum, 2018;Connor, Sung, Strain, Zeng, & Fabrizi, 2019;Ohl, Sheff, Small, Nugyen, Paskor, & Zanjirian, 2017). CRETA and associated systems may hold potential as training tools, capable of utilization either within broader systems of care or by individuals themselves, offering feedback regarding areas of need as well as outlets for real-time interaction with peers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Social Communication and Collaboration in Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Intelligent Collaborative Virtual Environments

Weitlauf

Amat

Swanson

et al. 2019

J Autism Dev Disord

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“…Thus, many people with disabilities are deprived of the right to be included in the society and live independently. Programs that train soft and employment skills help people with autism (in particular high-functioning autistic cases) to improve social skills, self-confidence, empathy, self-efficacy, and psychological wellness so as to be engaged in social and vocational activities [23].…”

Section: Metacognitive Strategies To Support Soft Skills Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Skills & Metacognition as Inclusion Amplifiers in the 21st Century

2021

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In the present paper we investigate soft skills in the light of metacognition. We seek the essential soft skills in the 21<sup>st</sup> century including green skills and look into their cognitive and metacognitive background. Enlightening the soft skills’ dependence on metacognition, we conclude on a metacognition-based approach and suggest useful tools and strategies. The metacognitive approach of soft skills can be applied in a variety of educational contexts as a training paradigm to accelerate the inclusion and success of students, employees and citizens, especially those belonging in vulnerable groups like persons with disabilities.

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Building Skills, Confidence, and Wellness: Psychosocial Effects of Soft Skills Training for Young Adults with Autism

Cited by 44 publications

References 49 publications

Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum (HEARTS): A feasibility test of an online class co-designed and co-taught with autistic people

Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum (HEARTS): A feasibility test of an online class co-designed and co-taught with autistic people

Assessing Social Communication and Collaboration in Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Intelligent Collaborative Virtual Environments

Soft Skills & Metacognition as Inclusion Amplifiers in the 21st Century

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