Peer and adult socialization

Abstract

Impairments in social interaction are a hallmark feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Deficits in social behaviors are often present by the end of the first year of life (Ingersoll 2011), and are one of the first recognizable signs of the disorder (e.g. Zwaigenbaum et al. 2005). In addition, studies examining the course of ASD symptoms over the lifespan suggest that most individuals with ASD continue to show significant social difficulties in adolescence and adulthood, and these symptoms are closely related to community inclusion (Orsmond et al. 2004) and other quality of life indicators (Howlin et al. 2004). Social symptoms appear to show less improvement over time (see Seltzer et al. 2004 for review) and may be less responsive to traditional treatments than symptoms in the other core ASD domains, such as language skills (Strain und Schwartz 2001). For these reasons, a variety of interventions have been developed that are specifically focused on increasing socialization in children with ASD.