Supporting the Conversational Behavior of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders with Self-Monitoring and a Video-Based Supplement.

Only three participants were studied, so this describes what happened to those three people and does not establish that the intervention works for other adolescents. The self-monitoring sheet, video model, praise, corrective feedback and topic choice were all delivered together. The study did not test which part, if any, caused the improvement. Conversations took place in a quiet room with an adult partner who waited with an expectant expression and offered prompts. This is unlike a real conversation with a peer, and the authors note that such prompts could be socially unacceptable or stigmatising outside the clinic. The study did not measure whether the improved conversation carried over to other people, places or topics, or whether it lasted after the intervention ended. The authors observed that participants seemed to need continued support to maintain the gains. The outcome focused on turn-taking, asking, responding and commenting on topic. It did not assess more complex conversational skills such as reading a listener's cues, managing topic shifts or talking about uninteresting topics. The experimenter was one of the experts who selected the participants and had previously taught them for one to two years, which may have influenced both the baseline and intervention sessions.

Funded by Kinneret College. No conflicts of interest were reported.

Do not treat the rise from 54% to 85% as evidence that this combination of self-monitoring and video model works for adolescents with autism. The study included only three participants, delivered several supports at once without testing which one mattered, and measured conversation only in a clinic room with a supportive adult. The gains faded when the support was withdrawn, and no maintenance or generalisation data were collected.