Social Skills Training
Erica Scerbo, Federica Boveri, Martina Cambiano
Child neuropsychiatric services have been forced to suspend care activities due to the Covid-19 health emergency. ASL AL operators (psychologists/educators) have had to reorganize social skills training provided for minors with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), normally carried out face-to-face in the district to which they belong. To redefine the therapeutic protocol in terms of teleworking, professionals checked the feasibility of teleintervention with children according to the child’s characteristics (age, diagnosis, severity level, physical and sensorial features, cognitive-behavioural profile, and communicative and language skills) and family compliance (PC and software availability, suitable spaces at home, parents’ cooperation level and outstanding e-learning requests). Considering that, professionals reinvented a manualized method, translating content into remote meetings: research and creativity in renewing methods and materials, respecting individual needs, principles and ethics. The online intervention enabled operators to overcome distance and local area limitations and set up more homogeneous groups in terms of age, and cognitive and linguistic functioning. Limits encountered were the quality of the videoconferencing equipment and infrastructure that may affect the quality and perception of telepractice services, difficulties in managing the group, and critical issues in adapting activities and maintaining a good level of motivation. However, many parents expressed satisfaction with the counselling provided by telepractice. It offered support to children’s emotional management: social skills training using telehealth supported children and their families in this pandemic period and built new opportunities for meeting friends and sharing emotions and problems.
Keywords
Social skills training, Remote intervention, ASD HF, Group.