This study investigated the efficacy of the Superheroes Social Skills program in increasing social engagement of four elementary-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Pakistan, where English was spoken as a second language. The investigators implemented the first six lessons from the program in the classroom and assessed its…

This meta-analysis tested whether autistic people show a marked, isolated difficulty with mentalising when assessed using the Frith-Happé Animations, an advanced test of mentalising (or 'theory of mind'). Effect sizes were aggregated in multivariate meta-analysis from 33 papers reporting data for over 3000 autistic and non-autistic people.…

The purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of animated and non-animated mobile social story maps using the mobile learning environment that the authors developed. An application using the story map method based on social stories was developed. Mobile social story map was presented with animated and non-animated…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often find it difficult to communicate using body language and facial expressions to respond appropriately socially. This negatively affects the quality of their everyday social life. Children with ASD can learn to socially interact with virtual three-dimensional (3D) characters in animated games…

The effectiveness of universal social emotional learning (SEL) programs are dependent on the incorporation of best practice principles, including an evaluative component. In the present study, the effects of a best practice, teacher-led SEL program was examined with 854 children aged 8-12 years. KooLKIDS uses an interactive multimedia format and…

Social skills intervention programs have demonstrated treatment efficacy in session but putting that knowledge into practice is a critically important component. It requires simultaneous development of related essential skills, like emotion regulation and resilience. Additionally, transdiagnostic treatment methodologies, which are more…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that impairs the development of social and communication skills. There is evidence that children with ASD prefer images of self over others. These studies may explain the effectiveness of video self-modeling (VSM), an evidence-based ASD intervention in which one learns by watching oneself…

This study explored the potential of using a new but simplified form of stop-motion animation called slowmation to support 4 primary school students with mild intellectual disabilities in co-constructing an animated social narrative about their own social skills. The research used a multiple case study design incorporating a range of qualitative…

"Developing Emotional Intelligence" is an Italian language multimedia tool created for children between 8 and 12 years of age. The software is based on the four 'branches' of model of emotional intelligence proposed by Mayer and Salovey and aims to evaluate and improve abilities in perception of emotions; using emotion to facilitate…

This study evaluated "The Transporters", an animated series designed to enhance emotion comprehension in children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). n = 20 children with ASC (aged 4-7) watched "The Transporters" everyday for 4 weeks. Participants were tested before and after intervention on emotional vocabulary and emotion recognition at three…

Why do people with right hemisphere damage (RHD) have difficulty with pragmatics and communication? One hypothesis has been that pragmatic impairment in RHD is the result of an underlying impairment in Theory of Mind (ToM): the ability to infer the mental states of others. In previous studies evaluating ToM abilities in people with RHD,…

In the context of practicing intercultural communication skills, we investigated the role of fidelity in a game-based, virtual learning environment as well as the role of feedback delivered by an intelligent tutoring system. In 2 experiments, we compared variations on the game interface, use of the tutoring system, and the form of the feedback.…

Are children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but normal-range intelligence, impaired on theory of mind skills measured by responses to abstract animations in the form of a computerized cartoon? Fifty-six cases and closely matched comparisons were tested. We rated verbal responses according to the length of their descriptions, their…

The current study evaluated the use of a manualized social skills program, Superheroes Social Skills, to increase the use of prosocial behaviors and decrease the use of aggressive behaviors for children with externalizing behaviors. The training was implemented by a school psychologist in a pullout group with four children with high-incidence…

The present study used simulated social interactions for purposes of control and attempted to distinguish and analyze the contributions of both stimulus and perceiver, rather than assuming at the outset that either would be relatively unimportant. (Author)