Emotional Intelligence and Social Skills in Adolescents with ASD with Intact Intellectual Functioning after the Participation in PEERS

The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between social skills and two main frameworks of Emotional Intelligence (EI): Ability Emotional Intelligence (AEI) and Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intact intellectual functioning after participating in the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS; Laugeson & Frankel, 2010). PEERS is an evidence-based social skills intervention for adolescents with ASD to help them learn skills to make and keep friends. Both a caregiver and teen participated in PEERS, once per week for 90 minutes, over the duration of 14 weeks. Measures of EI and social skills as reported by teens and a caregiver were examined one week prior to the start of the intervention (pre-test), one-week post intervention (post-test), and 14 weeks after completion of the program (follow-up). Results of the study indicate significant improvements in social skills as rated by caregivers from pre-test to post-test, with large effect sizes. Further, treatment gains appeared to be maintained at 14-week follow-up. Self-reported AEI and TEI measures at pre-test indicated average abilities and no improvements were found from pre-test to post-test. Additionally, only self-reported TEI was found to correlate with both pre- and post-test self-reported social skills. The implications of these results for practice, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education Graduate Program – Educational Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Werklund School of Education

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Rodgers, Andrea

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• McCrimmon, Adam W.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Brandon, Jim
• Burns, Amy

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Emotional Intelligence
• Social Skills
• Intervention
• Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37245

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/111218