"Just Ask What Support We Need": Autistic Adults' Feedback on Social Skills Training.

🥉 Top 5% JournalJun 20, 2025Autism in adulthood

Autistic Adults Suggest What Help They Need for Social Skills Training

AI simplified

Abstract

Eleven autistic adults shared insights on their experiences with social skills training (SST), highlighting personalization as a key need.

Participants expressed a desire for support in social communication and life skills that SST often did not provide.
There was a strong preference for SST to be personalized and available on an as-needed basis.
Support from autistic peers and trained neurotypical individuals was particularly valued by participants.
Some participants suggested that non-autistic people should receive training on how to effectively socialize with autistic individuals.
Negative experiences with SST were reported, with some participants indicating that they did not find it necessary.

AI simplified

BACKGROUND: Social skills training (SST) is an intervention intended to support the development of social communication and interaction for autistic people, often through role-play, modeling, peer mediation, or group activities. While often targeted at autistic children, adults may also be offered SST following diagnosis. Evaluations of SST generally focus on social and behavioral outcomes, with little consideration for participants' experience of the intervention. This study was the first to seek the perspectives of autistic adults regarding their previous experiences of SST in childhood or adulthood.

METHODS: We interviewed a total of 11 autistic adults (5 male, 5 female, and 1 agender) from the United Kingdom online. Interviews were semi-structured and focused on participants' previous experiences of SST and how they felt it could be improved. We analyzed data using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Autistic adults wanted support around social communication and life skills, which they felt was not always provided through SST. Participants suggested that SST should be personalized and accessible as and when needed. Support through autistic peers and trained neurotypicals was particularly valued. Some emphasized the need for non-autistic people to receive training on how to socialize with autistic people. Some participants also reported negative experiences of SST or felt that it was not necessary.

CONCLUSIONS: Current SST provision in the United Kingdom does not always meet the needs of autistic adults. Services providing SST should consider personalizing their support options and ensure that autistic adults are involved in the design and delivery of SST. Some autistic people may not want or need SST, and it should be integrated to a broader range of support options.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View full text (XML) ↗View full text ↗

Abstract

Full Text

Related papers