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There is currently a critical need to develop reliable and valid social skills assessment tools for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP) is a new assessment tool that provides a comprehensive measure of social functioning in children and adolescents with ASD. The ASSP was designed to assist with intervention planning and to provide a measure of intervention outcomes. This study provided a preliminary analysis of the psychometric properties of the ASSP to determine the underlying structure, or subscales, of the instrument. Results indicate that the ASSP has excellent psychometric properties with respect to internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Results suggest that the ASSP contains three subscales, labeled Social Reciprocity, Social Participation/ Avoidance, and Detrimental Social Behaviors.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience challenges and impairments in the areas of communication, social functioning, and restricted, repetitive behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Supporting individuals with ASD in their homes, schools, and communities involves comprehensive assessment and programming that addresses each of the core areas of impairment. Unfortunately, a missing component of many programs for children with ASD is effective, data-driven social skills training to address their specific social skills deficits (Hume, Bellini, & Pratt, 2005). These deficits often include difficulties initiating or joining in social activities, understanding the viewpoints of others, and expressing feelings verbally. Furthermore, many children with ASD engage in off-putting behaviors, such as making inappropriate comments or dominating conversations with topics of personal interest, which thwart positive social interactions. These social skills deficits begin to have an impact on children with ASD at an early age and, if left untreated, have the capacity to set them on harmful developmental trajectories leading to eventual social anxiety, depression, isolation, and other unfavorable outcomes (Bellini, 2006b; Tantam, 2000). A fundamental need exists in the field for comprehensive social skills assessment tools to guide data-driven, systematic social programming and provide a reliable and valid measure of treatment outcomes.
The identification of specific social skills deficits is a critical element of effective social skills programming (Gresham, Sugai, &Horner, 2001). In their review of meta-analytic research on social skills training, Gresham et al. concluded that the traditionally weak treatment effects of many social skills programs may be the...