Cross-Cultural Adaptation to Australia of the KONTAKT© Social Skills Group Training Program for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Feasibility Study / Bahareh AFSHARNEJAD in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50-12 (December 2020)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 50-12 (December 2020) . - p.4297-4316 Titre : Cross-Cultural Adaptation to Australia of the KONTAKT© Social Skills Group Training Program for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Feasibility Study Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Bahareh AFSHARNEJAD, Auteur ; Marita FALKMER, Auteur ; Melissa H. BLACK, Auteur ; Tasha ALACH, Auteur ; Fabian LENHARD, Auteur ; Anna FRIDELL, Auteur ; Christina COCO, Auteur ; Kelly MILNE, Auteur ; Nigel T.M. CHEN, Auteur ; Sven BÖLTE, Auteur ; Sonya GIRDLER, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.4297-4316 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Adolescents  Autism spectrum disorder  Cross-cultural adaptation  Feasibility  Kontakt©  Social skills group training  Social skills intervention Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : This study investigated the feasibility and cultural validity of KONTAKT©, a manualised social skills group training, in improving the social functioning of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). KONTAKT© was delivered to 17 adolescents (m(age) = 14.09, SD(age) = 1.43; 70% male) with ASD over sixteen 90 min sessions. A pre-test post-test design evaluated changes in personally meaningful social goals, symptom severity, quality of life, interpersonal efficacy, social anxiety, loneliness, and facial emotion recognition at pre, post and 3 months follow-up. Focus groups were conducted post intervention. Findings indicate that KONTAKT© may support Australian adolescents with ASD in achieving their personally meaningful social goals. This study resulted in finalisation of KONTAKT© in preparation for evaluation of its efficacy in a randomised controlled trial (Australian New Zealand Clinical Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12617001117303, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03294668). En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04477-5 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=434 [article] Cross-Cultural Adaptation to Australia of the KONTAKT© Social Skills Group Training Program for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Feasibility Study [texte imprimé] / Bahareh AFSHARNEJAD, Auteur ; Marita FALKMER, Auteur ; Melissa H. BLACK, Auteur ; Tasha ALACH, Auteur ; Fabian LENHARD, Auteur ; Anna FRIDELL, Auteur ; Christina COCO, Auteur ; Kelly MILNE, Auteur ; Nigel T.M. CHEN, Auteur ; Sven BÖLTE, Auteur ; Sonya GIRDLER, Auteur . - p.4297-4316. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 50-12 (December 2020) . - p.4297-4316 Mots-clés : Adolescents  Autism spectrum disorder  Cross-cultural adaptation  Feasibility  Kontakt©  Social skills group training  Social skills intervention Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : This study investigated the feasibility and cultural validity of KONTAKT©, a manualised social skills group training, in improving the social functioning of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). KONTAKT© was delivered to 17 adolescents (m(age) = 14.09, SD(age) = 1.43; 70% male) with ASD over sixteen 90 min sessions. A pre-test post-test design evaluated changes in personally meaningful social goals, symptom severity, quality of life, interpersonal efficacy, social anxiety, loneliness, and facial emotion recognition at pre, post and 3 months follow-up. Focus groups were conducted post intervention. Findings indicate that KONTAKT© may support Australian adolescents with ASD in achieving their personally meaningful social goals. This study resulted in finalisation of KONTAKT© in preparation for evaluation of its efficacy in a randomised controlled trial (Australian New Zealand Clinical Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12617001117303, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03294668). En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04477-5 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=434

A double-masked randomised actively controlled trial of KONTAKTâ„¢ social skills toolbox for Australian autistic children / Bahareh AFSHARNEJAD in Autism, 30-3 (March 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 30-3 (March 2026) . - p.748-766 Titre : A double-masked randomised actively controlled trial of KONTAKTâ„¢ social skills toolbox for Australian autistic children Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Bahareh AFSHARNEJAD, Auteur ; Elinda Ai Lim LEE, Auteur ; Maya HAYDEN-EVANS, Auteur ; Anna FRIDELL, Auteur ; Christina COCO, Auteur ; Tasha ALACH, Auteur ; Mathew JOHNSON, Auteur ; Sven BÖLTE, Auteur ; Sonya GIRDLER, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.748-766 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : active control group  autistic children  double-masked randomised controlled trial  KONTAKTâ„¢  social skills group training Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : To explore the efficacy of KONTAKTâ„¢, a manualised social skills group programme, compared to an active control group, 84 autistic children aged 8–12 years were randomised to KONTAKT (n = 43) or ART-Legends, a group-based social art programme (n = 41). Both programmes ran for sixteen 75-min sessions. Primary (Goal Attainment Scaling) and Secondary outcomes (Social Skills Group Assessment, LERID Friendship Scale) were collected at baseline, post-completion, 3-month (primary endpoint) and 1-year follow-up. A weekly survey was also collected to capture children’s enjoyment, motivation and social interaction anxiety while attending their group. Linear mixed modelling indicating significant effects for both groups on the primary outcome GAS (p < 0.001) over time. No Time*Group interaction was observed for GAS or any of the secondary measures at the primary endpoint, except quality of friendship (effect size = 0.67, p = 0.01). The weekly survey indicated higher enjoyment levels from attending KONTAKT compared to ART-Legends. This study found that both social group programmes helped autistic children achieve their personal social goals, with no clear advantage for KONTAKT over ART-Legends. However, KONTAKT’s specific elements were necessary for improving friendship quality. Future research can benefit from exploring and identifying the elements of a social programme supporting enjoyment and helping autistic children achieve their goals.Trial registration: (1) Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12619000994189, registered 12 July 2019, anzctr.org.au; (2) ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04024111 registered 1 December 2019, https://clinicaltrials.govLay Abstract Social skills group programmes such as KONTAKTâ„¢ are the most frequently used programmes for supporting the social needs of autistic children in navigating a non-autistic social world. The success of these programmes is largely measured by comparing participants attending a social skills group programme to others not receiving this support or attending another social skills group programme. Therefore, it is unclear whether mere exposure to a supportive social group based on interests is as beneficial as a social skills group programme in supporting the social needs of autistic children. To understand this effect, researchers compared KONTAKT to ART-Legends, a group-based social art programme. While participants in both programmes engaged in free social play, KONTAKT participants also had opportunities to practise their social skills in activities such as roleplays and discussions. Two to three health professionals delivered both programmes to groups of 4–8 autistic children aged 8–12 years. Both programmes were manualised and ran for sixteen 75-min sessions. Overall, 84 children attended the programmes, 43 in KONTAKT and 41 in ART-Legends. A researcher, unaware of the group each child attended, collected data before, then immediately, 3 months and 12 months after the programmes ended. The enjoyment and motivation of attending the groups and the children’s anxiety when socialising while attending the groups were also collected. This study found that both groups made clear progress on their personal social goals and social skills over time. However, children in the KONTAKT group showed better results than those in the ART-Legends group when it came to making friends, enjoying the sessions and feeling less anxious in social situations. Overall, this research suggested that when autistic children take part in a structured social group programme led by trained professionals in a supportive setting, the programme can help them reach their personally meaningful social goals. However, if the aim is related to improving their friendships and having more successful socialisation skills, KONTAKT is superior. Future studies could look more closely at what parts of the programme are most helpful in improving friendship and socialisation skills. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613251414902 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=582 [article] A double-masked randomised actively controlled trial of KONTAKTâ„¢ social skills toolbox for Australian autistic children [texte imprimé] / Bahareh AFSHARNEJAD, Auteur ; Elinda Ai Lim LEE, Auteur ; Maya HAYDEN-EVANS, Auteur ; Anna FRIDELL, Auteur ; Christina COCO, Auteur ; Tasha ALACH, Auteur ; Mathew JOHNSON, Auteur ; Sven BÖLTE, Auteur ; Sonya GIRDLER, Auteur . - p.748-766. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 30-3 (March 2026) . - p.748-766 Mots-clés : active control group  autistic children  double-masked randomised controlled trial  KONTAKTâ„¢  social skills group training Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : To explore the efficacy of KONTAKTâ„¢, a manualised social skills group programme, compared to an active control group, 84 autistic children aged 8–12 years were randomised to KONTAKT (n = 43) or ART-Legends, a group-based social art programme (n = 41). Both programmes ran for sixteen 75-min sessions. Primary (Goal Attainment Scaling) and Secondary outcomes (Social Skills Group Assessment, LERID Friendship Scale) were collected at baseline, post-completion, 3-month (primary endpoint) and 1-year follow-up. A weekly survey was also collected to capture children’s enjoyment, motivation and social interaction anxiety while attending their group. Linear mixed modelling indicating significant effects for both groups on the primary outcome GAS (p < 0.001) over time. No Time*Group interaction was observed for GAS or any of the secondary measures at the primary endpoint, except quality of friendship (effect size = 0.67, p = 0.01). The weekly survey indicated higher enjoyment levels from attending KONTAKT compared to ART-Legends. This study found that both social group programmes helped autistic children achieve their personal social goals, with no clear advantage for KONTAKT over ART-Legends. However, KONTAKT’s specific elements were necessary for improving friendship quality. Future research can benefit from exploring and identifying the elements of a social programme supporting enjoyment and helping autistic children achieve their goals.Trial registration: (1) Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12619000994189, registered 12 July 2019, anzctr.org.au; (2) ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04024111 registered 1 December 2019, https://clinicaltrials.govLay Abstract Social skills group programmes such as KONTAKTâ„¢ are the most frequently used programmes for supporting the social needs of autistic children in navigating a non-autistic social world. The success of these programmes is largely measured by comparing participants attending a social skills group programme to others not receiving this support or attending another social skills group programme. Therefore, it is unclear whether mere exposure to a supportive social group based on interests is as beneficial as a social skills group programme in supporting the social needs of autistic children. To understand this effect, researchers compared KONTAKT to ART-Legends, a group-based social art programme. While participants in both programmes engaged in free social play, KONTAKT participants also had opportunities to practise their social skills in activities such as roleplays and discussions. Two to three health professionals delivered both programmes to groups of 4–8 autistic children aged 8–12 years. Both programmes were manualised and ran for sixteen 75-min sessions. Overall, 84 children attended the programmes, 43 in KONTAKT and 41 in ART-Legends. A researcher, unaware of the group each child attended, collected data before, then immediately, 3 months and 12 months after the programmes ended. The enjoyment and motivation of attending the groups and the children’s anxiety when socialising while attending the groups were also collected. This study found that both groups made clear progress on their personal social goals and social skills over time. However, children in the KONTAKT group showed better results than those in the ART-Legends group when it came to making friends, enjoying the sessions and feeling less anxious in social situations. Overall, this research suggested that when autistic children take part in a structured social group programme led by trained professionals in a supportive setting, the programme can help them reach their personally meaningful social goals. However, if the aim is related to improving their friendships and having more successful socialisation skills, KONTAKT is superior. Future studies could look more closely at what parts of the programme are most helpful in improving friendship and socialisation skills. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613251414902 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=582

The moderating role of co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in social skills group training for autistic children and adolescents / Anna FRIDELL in Autism, 29-8 (August 2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 29-8 (August 2025) . - p.2030-2043 Titre : The moderating role of co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in social skills group training for autistic children and adolescents Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Anna FRIDELL, Auteur ; Nora CHOQUE OLSSON, Auteur ; Christina COCO, Auteur ; Sven BÖLTE, Auteur ; Ulf JONSSON, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.2030-2043 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder  autism  clinically relevant change  interaction  intervention  moderator analysis  personalized medicine  reliable change  response Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Social skills group training is frequently used to support autistic children and adolescents in coping with everyday social demands and expectations. Meta-analytic studies suggest small to medium effect sizes. Effect moderators must be better understood to inform implementation and allow optimization of intervention protocols. Using data from two pragmatic randomized trials (N = 241) of the KONTAKT? social skills group training program as an add-on to standard care in clinical settings, we aimed to explore the moderating role of co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children (7-12 years) and adolescents (13-18 years). Two distinct response criteria were defined based on the parent-rated Social Responsiveness Scale: reliable improvement ( 25 points) and clinically relevant improvement ( 10 points). Moderator analyses indicated that the intervention effect was moderated by co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and age group. Logistic regressions stratified by co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder showed significant effects among those without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 63), both in terms of reliable improvement (odds ratio: 11.85, p = 0.002) and clinically relevant improvement (odds ratio: 10.00, p = 0.001). In contrast, no significant effects were observed in those with co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 178). Explorative analyses further stratified by age suggested significant effects in adolescents, but not children, with co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The findings preliminarily suggest that autistic children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may need other or additional support.Lay abstract Social skills group training can help some autistic children and adolescents improve their social life. Still, the positive effects may be less clear for those who also have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. We used data from two previous projects evaluating the effects of a social skills group training program called KONTAKT? as an addition to the common healthcare provided. Our study included 241 children (8-12 years) and adolescents (13-18 years). To determine whether the participants had improved their social skills, we used ratings provided by the parents before and after the training and 3 months later. We then explored if KONTAKT led to improvement for autistic children and adolescents with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Autistic children and adolescents often struggle to understand others and express themselves in everyday social situations. These challenges can create barriers to well-being and future life chances. Social skills group training can improve social skills in some autistic youths, but not all will benefit equally from the training. It is therefore important to better understand whether some groups need more support or other forms of assistance. Many autistic children and adolescents also have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which can make the training of social skills more complicated. We found that both children and adolescents can benefit from KONTAKT. Still, preadolescent autistic children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder did not seem to improve as a result of the training. Based on these findings, it is important to find additional strategies to support this specific group of autistic children in handling social situations. En ligne : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/13623613251331993 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=564 [article] The moderating role of co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in social skills group training for autistic children and adolescents [texte imprimé] / Anna FRIDELL, Auteur ; Nora CHOQUE OLSSON, Auteur ; Christina COCO, Auteur ; Sven BÖLTE, Auteur ; Ulf JONSSON, Auteur . - p.2030-2043. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 29-8 (August 2025) . - p.2030-2043 Mots-clés : attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder  autism  clinically relevant change  interaction  intervention  moderator analysis  personalized medicine  reliable change  response Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Social skills group training is frequently used to support autistic children and adolescents in coping with everyday social demands and expectations. Meta-analytic studies suggest small to medium effect sizes. Effect moderators must be better understood to inform implementation and allow optimization of intervention protocols. Using data from two pragmatic randomized trials (N = 241) of the KONTAKT? social skills group training program as an add-on to standard care in clinical settings, we aimed to explore the moderating role of co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children (7-12 years) and adolescents (13-18 years). Two distinct response criteria were defined based on the parent-rated Social Responsiveness Scale: reliable improvement ( 25 points) and clinically relevant improvement ( 10 points). Moderator analyses indicated that the intervention effect was moderated by co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and age group. Logistic regressions stratified by co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder showed significant effects among those without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 63), both in terms of reliable improvement (odds ratio: 11.85, p = 0.002) and clinically relevant improvement (odds ratio: 10.00, p = 0.001). In contrast, no significant effects were observed in those with co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 178). Explorative analyses further stratified by age suggested significant effects in adolescents, but not children, with co-occurring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The findings preliminarily suggest that autistic children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may need other or additional support.Lay abstract Social skills group training can help some autistic children and adolescents improve their social life. Still, the positive effects may be less clear for those who also have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. We used data from two previous projects evaluating the effects of a social skills group training program called KONTAKT? as an addition to the common healthcare provided. Our study included 241 children (8-12 years) and adolescents (13-18 years). To determine whether the participants had improved their social skills, we used ratings provided by the parents before and after the training and 3 months later. We then explored if KONTAKT led to improvement for autistic children and adolescents with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Autistic children and adolescents often struggle to understand others and express themselves in everyday social situations. These challenges can create barriers to well-being and future life chances. Social skills group training can improve social skills in some autistic youths, but not all will benefit equally from the training. It is therefore important to better understand whether some groups need more support or other forms of assistance. Many autistic children and adolescents also have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which can make the training of social skills more complicated. We found that both children and adolescents can benefit from KONTAKT. Still, preadolescent autistic children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder did not seem to improve as a result of the training. Based on these findings, it is important to find additional strategies to support this specific group of autistic children in handling social situations. En ligne : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/13623613251331993 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=564

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