Lego therapy: Building social skills for adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

The literature review examined the inclusion of typically developing peers in social skill interventions for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Although previous reviews have evaluated research that included peers in an active role (for example, through peer training or peer mediation), this review only considered interventions which are delivered holistically to the entire group; peers did not receive additional training.

A systematic search identified 11 studies which were critically reviewed and Percentage of All Non-overlapping Data (PAND) effect sizes were calculated.

It was concluded that there is promising evidence for the efficacy of including typically developing peers in group-based interventions for students with ASD.

The empirical paper explored the impact of school-based Lego social skill groups for adolescents with ASD. The groups were based on Lego Therapy and included typically developing peers.

Four research questions were examined to explore the impact of the programme on social skill development, the generalisation of skills, fidelity of implementation, the mechanisms of change and the social validity of the intervention.

The study employed a single-case research design (specifically a non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design) to examine the impact of the intervention for six adolescent males with ASD.

Visual analysis, PAND effect sizes and Tau-U statistical analyses showed the large positive impact of the intervention on duration of social engagement and frequency of social initiations, responses and positive social behaviours for five out of six participants.

The final participant withdrew from the research.

Parents and teachers saw some evidence of generalisation of skill to home and other aspects of school life but this was not consistent for all participants.

Fidelity of implementation was maintained, suggesting the approach is appropriate for delivery in school settings by school staff.

Qualitative feedback from the interventionists indicated possible mechanisms of change.