The ‘Secret Agent Society' Self-Directed Program

Evaluation of a Social-Emotional Skills Training Intervention with children with a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome offered via a self directed format with parental weekly support via Skype.

Participants: The participants will be 30 to 40 children with a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, their parents and their nominated class teacher. The parents will support their child in completing the SAS program. 

Inclusion criterion: To be eligible to participate, children must speak English as a first language and have access to a computer at home or at school. Have a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism; be of average intelligence; and be aged between 8 to 12 years of age. To be eligible children must have had a cognitive assessment in the past 2 years.

The project aims to evaluate the usefulness of an existing multi-component social skills program, to improve the social skills, emotional understanding and anxiety management strategies of children with a diagnosis of high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome.

The program comprises of the following: a computer game, manual for parents to support the child completing the home practice missions and teacher tipsheets.

The current project aims to investigate the efficacy of a computerized social skill intervention (i.e., the Secret Agent Society game [SAS]) for children with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome via a self-directed format with weekly parent support (via Skype or WebEx). To date, no research was found that examines the effects of a self-directed interventions for children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Furthermore, the aim of the present study is also to examine whether participation in the SAS intervention will reduce parental distress and improve child behavioural problems. The SAS program is a 9-week computer based social skill intervention with the goal of increasing social competence and emotional management in children with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.

Considering that many of children’s social difficulties are experienced at school, the current project further aims to provide an overview of what the child is learning in the form of teacher tipsheets. Following the completion of each session, the teacher will be provided with teacher tipsheets to help the child apply his or her newly acquired skills.
If the intervention is successful in achieving these aims, this is likely to confer significant benefits to child participants and the adults who support them. These benefits may potentially include improved friendships, improved social skills and better emotional regulation skills; and to help prevent further emotional and social difficulties in adolescence and adulthood. Benefits for parents may possibly include a reduced level of parental distress, and reduced behavioural difficulties in their children.

Furthermore, the majority of treatments available for children with an ASD are offered or conducted in metropolitan districts or via specialised psychologist services. Access to treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in regional or remote areas is limited or unavailable.  Individuals in rural and regional communities do not have the same level of access to treatment programs when compared to those in metropolitan areas. A broader approach is needed to target individuals in regional communities who have difficulty accessing social skill training programs for children with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.  Therefore this study will also attempt to recruit participants in regional and rural areas of Australia and also those in metropolitan locations.

Since the current study is offered via a self directed format, the results from the study will provide information about whether a self-directed treatment option is as effective as treatment received in a clinic setting delivered by a psychologist for children with a high functioning autism diagnosis. If the program is effective, this will permit a cost effective option for parents who cannot afford the cost of a psychologist to deliver the program. Furthermore, if the program is effective via a self-directed format, this will allow for a wider range of children and parents to benefit from the program than what is currently available; thus providing benefits for a larger number of people.

The program is being offered via a ‘parent-supported’ format, which runs over 9 weeks. The program provides all SAS resources to parents to run in the convenience of their own home. Families will receive the following resources:
1. Computer Game (loaned),
2. Gadget Pack
3. Parent Workbook
4. Child Cadet Handbook
5. Teacher Tip Sheet Pack, and
6. Home-School Diary Pack.

Previous research with the full program has shown that “76% of children who participated in the study improved from having clinically significant delays in social functioning to demonstrating social skills within the range of typically developing children” at the end of the program (Beaumont & Sofronoff, 2008).

Potential Risk and Benefits
The potential risk involved in participating in the program is not considered greater than that already experienced in every day life. If the program is successful in achieving its aim, this is likely to result in significant benefits to children and the adults who support them. These benefits may include improved friendships, reduced social isolation and peer rejection, reduced parent and teacher stress, and improved academic achievement and the offset of further emotional disorders in adolescence.

Contact: Jennifer Silva. Jennifer.silva@uqconnect.edu.au
https://experiment.psy.uq.edu.au/sas/