Including play in a social skills intervention for children with autism Chester, Monica 2016, Including play in a social skills intervention for children with autism, DPsych(Clin) thesis, School of Psychology, Deakin University. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads chester-includingplay-2016A.pdf Connect to thesis application/pdf 9.32MB 288 Title Including play in a social skills intervention for children with autism Author Chester, Monica Institution Deakin University School School of Psychology Faculty Faculty of Health Degree type Research doctorate Degree name DPsych(Clin) Thesis advisor McGillivray Jane orcid.org/0000-0003-2000-6488 Richdale, Amanda Date submitted 2016-05 Keyword(s) Autism Social skills training Early intervention social skills Children Summary Group-based social skills training (SST), is a common treatment for individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - a condition characterised by social impairments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week SST intervention with a play component (unstructured versus semi-structured) for children with ASD. Forty-five children aged 8 to 12 years participated in the study. Data were collected from a parent, teacher and the child at pre-test, post-test and at 3-month follow-up. Compared to a waitlist control group, children who participated in the SST intervention showed significant gains in social skills and social competence and they exhibited a reduction in social worries and emotional distress over time. Observational data during SST sessions, however, revealed that those in the unstructured play environment exhibited lower levels of social participation and engagement with peers compared to children assigned to semi-structured play. Language eng Field of Research 170109 - Personality, Abilities and Assessment 100% Socio Economic Objective 920410 - Mental Health 100% Description of original xix, 300 pages : tables, figures, some coloured, apendices Copyright notice ©The Author. All Rights Reserved Free to Read? Yes Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30088968 Document type: Thesis Collections: Higher degree theses (Open Access) Open Access Collection   Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au. Versions Version Filter Type Wed, 16 Nov 2016, 11:18:49 EST Thu, 17 Nov 2016, 10:54:25 EST Fri, 02 Dec 2016, 13:42:12 EST Fri, 02 Dec 2016, 13:43:37 EST Fri, 02 Dec 2016, 13:44:32 EST Thu, 09 Mar 2017, 07:29:08 EST Thu, 09 Mar 2017, 09:27:52 EST Thu, 02 Aug 2018, 12:33:22 EST Fri, 07 Sep 2018, 18:57:37 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 0 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 292 Abstract Views, 293 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Wed, 16 Nov 2016, 11:18:41 EST by Deb Gray