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Abstract
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Introduction: Social skills group training (SSGT) is a way of improving social skills of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). KONTAKT, a manualized SSGT program, was designed for autistic children and adolescents aged 8 to 17 years. The effectiveness of both short (12-session), intermediate (16-session), and long (24-session) versions of KONTAKT has been reported. The aim of this current study was to examine the feasibility and cross-cultural validity of 16-session KONTAKT version for adolescents with ASD in Turkey. Methods: This was a 16-week uncontrolled study of SSGT for autistic adolescents between the ages of 10 and 16 years. Each group was consisting of 6-8 participants. Weekly sessions were 60-minutes in duration and moderated by two clinicians. Sessions covered various social skills including understanding social rules and relationships, recognizing emotions, and developing conversational skills. Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Stockholm Social Skills Support Sensitivity Scale (6S) were used before and after the intervention to measure the effect of group training on autistic symptoms, emotion regulation, behavioral problems and social skills, respectively. Results: Twenty-five male adolescents (mean age: 12.6 years), and their parents were included to the study. The Turkish adaptation included more extensive parent education (weekly virtual group meetings with the parents). Feedback from trainers suggested modifications, including adaptation to the discussions focusing on autism diagnosis (using social communication difficulties instead of term 'autism'). Questions related to theme-based discussions, games, activities, and scenarios were modified to reflect cultural norms. Conclusions: The current study is an important first step in evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally appropriate version of the KONTAKT for Turkish autistic adolescents.
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