Authors (including presenting author) :
Chan YHJ (1), Chan WKN (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
Difficulty in conversation is common among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Conversations of people with ASD are characterized by brief responses, acontextual speech and lack of information sharing. Youth adults with ASD are facing challenges since they face a higher expectation on their social awareness and relational skills. Unfortunately, service targets on these group of individuals is limited, which often results in social isolation.
Objectives :
This pilot program aims at improving conversational skills through educational and experiential approaches. Participants were invited to explore the social value of conversational interaction, to broaden their interest and social awareness, and to practice reciprocal conversation.
Methodology :
Participants were recruited from Psychiatric Outpatient unit of Occupational Therapy Department. We targeted young adults with diagnosis of ASD with normal intelligence. The pilot program consists of five sessions, titled: 1) Exchange Information, 2) Research on Trendy Topics, 3) Conversation Skills I - Small Talk, 4) Conversation Skills II - Reciprocal Conversation and 5) Mini-speech Exercise and Overcoming Anxiety. The program was provided in group format. Homework was introduced to enhance generalization to everyday life.
The Test of Young Adult Social Skills Knowledge (TYASSK) and Quality of Play Questionnaire - Young Adult (QPQ - A) were adopted for program evaluation, intended to measure their social knowledge and quality of social interaction.
Result & Outcome :
A total of eleven participants were recruited in this pilot program from December 2023, they were all young adults with an average age of 21.3. They were diagnosed of ASD and other social difficulties. Subjects were all pursuing their post-secondary education. Qualitative investigation revealed that difficulty in initiating and sustaining conversation, lack of common interest with their peers and anxiety of being “odd” in social situations were common among them.
Participants demonstrated good motivation in joining this program. Quantitative measurement demonstrated improvement in social knowledge (from 14.5 to 14.9) in TYASSK and reduction in conflict (from 9.9 to 7.7) in QPQ- A. Participants shared their appreciation on the opportunity of practicing conversational skills with people close to their age. The error free learning experience and peer support were also highlighted.
Conclusion:
This pilot confirmed the needs of young adults with ASD. Skills building is essential to improve their relational skills. Further applications with larger sampling size could be considered in future.
