Assessing Social Skills of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders in India: A Pilot Study
VC12-VC15
Correspondence
Dr. Reema Gupta,
A-2/10 Satyawati Nagar, Ashok Vihar-3, Delhi-110052, India.
E-mail: reema808gupta@yahoo.co.in
Introduction: The prevalence of Autism is increasing now-a-days in India so there is an evident need to develop early intervention programs targeting social-communication and behavioural skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) that are applicable in the Indian setting. However, a lack of adequate measurement of social skills, hampers the evaluation of effectiveness of such programs.
Aim: To evaluate the correlation between Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) and Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA) and to find out the validity of SSRS in Indian children.
Materials and Methods:The present study was an observational study. Fifty children diagnosed with ASD between 3-6 years as per the DSM-V criteria were recruited from March 2016 to Febuary 2017. Social Skills were assessed on SSRS and severity of autism was assessed on ISAA. Pearson correlation coefficient were calculated between seven subdomains of SSRS and total score of ISAA to evaluate the validity of SSRS.
Results: A significant negative correlation was found between Social Skills and total score of ISAA (r=-0.61, p<0.01) and positive correlation between problem behaviours and ISAA total score (r=0.60, p<0.01).
Conclusion: The study concluded that SSRS may be used to assess the social skills of children with ASD in Indian setting.