A social cognitive intervention program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Theoretical framework, development and evaluation

This thesis examines the effectiveness of a social-cognitive based training for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Hong Kong cross-cultural setting. 74 children aged 6-16 years with ASD have received a 10-weeks training and children and parents are tested before, after and 2-month of time. Quantitative and qualitative analyses have been conducted. Both children and parents are reported to be benefited from the training which included improvement in language and self-control ability, better social interaction and play skills. The effect continues two months later. This lends support to a cost-effective, school-based social skills training for children with ASD.