According to a recent study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, intervention is crucial for reducing loneliness and social isolation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study, conducted by researchers at Bar-Ilan University, evaluated the effectiveness of the Preschool Peer Social Intervention (PPSI) in promoting peer engagement among preschoolers with ASD.
The study found that the PPSI intervention significantly improved social engagement, play skills, and conversation abilities in the preschoolers with ASD. This led to increased social inclusion with their typically developing peers. Teachers also reported improvements in the children’s overall adaptive skills, play complexity, and social engagement in everyday play situations with their peers.
On the other hand, children who did not receive the intervention showed no improvement in these skills and even experienced a decline in some areas. This highlights the importance of individualized peer interventions that target social interaction, play, and conversation for reducing loneliness and social isolation in children with ASD.
Dr. Nirit Bauminger-Zviely, who led the study, emphasized that the control group without intervention did not show progress or improvement in the targeted measures. This indicates that the PPSI intervention, which addresses all three domains of peer engagement, is essential for addressing the social challenges faced by children with ASD.
The researchers are now training teachers, speech therapists, and psychologists to implement the PPSI intervention in preschools to help children with ASD effectively interact with their peers. The study was partially funded by The Autism Research and Treatment Center: The Association for Children at Risk in Israel.
Overall, this study highlights the significance of intervention in reducing loneliness and social isolation in children with ASD and emphasizes the need for targeted peer programs to enhance peer engagement and social inclusion in this population.
The original article can be found here.
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