Abstract
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a computer software (i.e., Mind Reading) and in vivo rehearsal treatment on the emotion decoding and encoding skills, autism symptoms, and social skills of 43 children, ages 7–12 years with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). Children in treatment (n = 22) received the manualized protocol over 12 weeks. Primary analyses indicated significantly better posttest performance for the treatment group (compared to controls) on 3 of the 4 measures of emotion decoding and encoding and these were maintained at 5-week follow-up. Analyses of secondary measures favored the treatment group for 1 of the 2 measures; specifically, ASD symptoms were significantly lower at posttest and follow-up.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.
Baron-Cohen, S., Golan, O., Wheelwright, S., & Hill, J. J. (2004). Mind reading: The interactive guide to emotions. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers (www.jkp.com).
Carrow-Woolfolk, E. (1999). Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Constantino, J. H., & Gruber, C. P. (2005). Social Responsiveness Scale. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Doi, H., Fujisawa, T. X., Kanai, C., Ohta, H., Yokoi, H., Iwanami, A., et al. (2013). Recognition of facial expressions and prosodic cues with graded emotional intensities in adults with Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 2099–2113. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1760-8.
Faja, S., Webb, S. J., Jones, E., Merkle, K., Kamara, D., Bavaro, J., et al. (2012). The effects of face expertise training on the behavioral performance and brain activity of adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 278–293. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1243-8.
Golan, O., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2006). Systemizing empathy: Teaching adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism to recognize complex emotions using interactive multimedia. Development and Psychopathology, 18, 591–617. doi:10.1017/S0954579406060305.
Harms, M. B., Martin, A., & Wallace, G. L. (2010). Facial emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorders: A review of behavioral and neuroimaging studies. Neuropsychology Review, 20, 290–322. doi:10.1007/s11065-010-9138-6.
Hopkins, I. M., Gower, M. W., Perez, T. A., Smith, D. S., Amthor, F. R., Wimsatt, F. C., & Biasini, F. J. (2011). Avatar assistant: Improving social skills in students with an ASD through a computer-based intervention. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41, 1543–1555. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1179-z.
LaCava, P. G., Golan, O., Baron-Cohen, S., & Myles, B. S. (2007). Using assistive technology to teach emotion recognition to students with Asperger syndrome. Remedial and Special Education, 28(3), 174–181. doi:10.1177/0741932507028030601.
LaCava, P. G., Rankin, A., Mahlios, E., Cook, K., & Simpson, R. L. (2010). A single case design evaluation of a software and tutor intervention addressing emotion recognition and social interaction in four boys with ASD. Autism, 14(3), 161–178. doi:10.1177/1362361310362085.
Lindner, J. L., & Rosen, L. A. (2006). Decoding of emotion through facial expression, prosody and verbal content in children and adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 769–777. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0105-2.
Lopata, C., Thomeer, M. L., Volker, M. A., Nida, R. E., & Lee, G. K. (2008). Effectiveness of a manualized summer social treatment program for high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(5), 890–904. doi:10.1007/s10803-007-0460-7.
Lord, C., Wagner, A., Rogers, S., Szatmari, P., Aman, M., Charman, T., et al. (2005). Challenges in evaluating psychosocial interventions for autistic spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35(6), 695–708. doi:10.1007/s10803-005-0017-6.
Macdonald, H., Rutter, M., Howlin, P., Rios, P., Le Conteur, A., Evered, C., & Folstein, S. (1989). Recognition and expression of emotional cues by autistic and normal adults. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30(6), 863–877. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1989.tb00288.x.
Mazefsky, C. A., & Oswald, D. P. (2007). Emotion perception in Asperger’s syndrome and high-functioning autism: The importance of diagnostic criteria and cue intensity. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1086–1095. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0251-6.
Nowicki, S. (1997). Instructional manual for the receptive tests of the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy 2. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.
Ploog, B. O., Scharf, A., Nelson, D., & Brooks, P. J. (2013). Use of computer-assisted technologies (CAT) to enhance social, communicative, and language development in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 301–322. doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1571-3.
Ramdoss, S., Machalicek, W., Rispoli, M., Mulloy, A., Lang, R., & O’Reilly, M. (2012). Computer-based interventions to improve social and emotional skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 15(2), 119–135. doi:10.3109/17518423.2011.651655.
Reichow, B., Steiner, A. M., & Volkmar, F. (2012). Social skills groups for people aged 6–21 with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD008511. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008511.pub2.
Reichow, B., & Volkmar, F. R. (2010). Social skills interventions for individuals with autism: Evaluation for evidence-based practices within a best evidence synthesis framework. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(2), 149–166. doi:10.1007/s10803-009-0842-0.
Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2004). Behavior Assessment System for Children (2nd ed.). Circle Pines, MN: AGS.
Rutter, M., LeCouteur, A., & Lord, C. (2003). Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Smith, T., Scahill, L., Dawson, G., Guthrie, D., Lord, C., Odom, S., et al. (2007). Designing research studies on psychosocial interventions in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(2), 354–366. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0173-3.
Tellegen, A., & Briggs, P. F. (1967). Old wine in new skins: Grouping Wechsler subtests into new scales. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 31, 499–506. doi:10.1037/h0024963.
Thomeer, M. L., Lopata, C., Volker, M. A., Toomey, J. A., Lee, G. K., Smerbeck, A. M., et al. (2012). Randomized clinical trial replication of a psychosocial treatment for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Psychology in the Schools, 49(10), 942–954. doi:10.1002/pits.21647.
Thomeer, M. L., Rodgers, J. D., Lopata, C., McDonald, C. A., Volker, M. A., Toomey, J. A., et al. (2011). Open-trial pilot of Mind Reading and in vivo rehearsal for children with HFASDs. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 26(3), 153–161. doi:10.1177/1088357611414876.
Trochim, W. M., Donnelly, J. P., & Arora, K. (2014). Research methods: The essential knowledge base (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Volker, M. A., Lopata, C., Smith, D. A., & Thomeer, M. L. (2009). Facial encoding of children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 24(4), 195–204. doi:10.1177/1088357609347325.
Wechsler, D. (2003). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
White, S. W., Koenig, K., & Scahill, L. (2007). Social skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders: A review of the intervention research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(10), 1858–1868. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0320-x.
White, S. W., Koenig, K., & Scahill, L. (2010). Group social skills instruction for adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 25(4), 209–219. doi:10.1177/1088357610380595.
Acknowledgments
The research reported in this article was supported by a grant from the Organization for Autism Research. Findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thomeer, M.L., Smith, R.A., Lopata, C. et al. Randomized Controlled Trial of Mind Reading and In Vivo Rehearsal for High-Functioning Children with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 2115–2127 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2374-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2374-0