L’altération sévère et prolongée de la communication sociale rend invalidante l’adaptation des enfants présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme au niveau des interactions sociales. En 2010, la Haute Autorité de santé recommande notamment la pratique d’interventions psycho-éducatives structurées, reposant sur des techniques cognitivo-comportementales. Des groupes d’entraînement aux habiletés sociales, basés sur ce type d’approche, sont proposés aux enfants présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme.

La présente étude a pour but d’évaluer l’efficacité des groupes d’entraînements aux habiletés sociales (GEHS) adressés à huit enfants présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme sans déficience intellectuelle, ayant participé à dix séances de groupe, ainsi que la généralisation des compétences à divers lieux de vie. L’entraînement porte sur dix items de base devant être acquis en classe primaire.

Les données ont été recueilles à l’aide d’une grille d’observation directe et de l’évaluation des habilités sociales nécessaires aux relations interpersonnelles, à la première et à la dernière séance du programme. Des comparaisons de moyenne ont été réalisées.

Les scores ont mis en évidence une augmentation du score total de compétences sociales et émotionnelles des enfants, après avoir participé au GEHS mais une généralisation moindre.

Ce type d’intervention semble efficace pour stimuler le développement socio-communicatif de ces enfants en milieu expérimental. Une évaluation du maintien des compétences sociales à plus long terme est nécessaire pour consolider l’efficacité de ce mode de prise en charge.

Severe and prolonged impairment in social communication hinders social adaptation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to poor social interaction skills. In 2010, “Haute Autorité de santé” (HAS) published recommendations for good practice in conducting group interventions focusing on the impairment of social skills in individuals with ASD using a behavioral approach. Programs should contain appropriate strategies to promote the generalization of social skills in order to increase their sustainability over time (Radley et al., 2014). HAS insists on the importance of preserving and gradually transferring skills acquired to new contexts. Studies that evaluated generalization get mixed results.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of social skills training groups (GEHS) and generalization of skills in a variety of settings in 8 children with ASD diagnosed by ADI and ADOS, without mental retardation, aged between 6 and 11 years, all of whom participated in 10 sessions of training programs with two therapists. The training covered 10 basic items to be acquired in primary class. Specific basic behavior was observed over a short time period to show that rapid improvement is possible provided that learning objectives are targeted and suitable activities are proposed.

Data was collected using an observation protocol and evaluation of social skills necessary for interpersonal relationships at the first and the last session of training programs. Direct observation was performed from an empirical observation designed from the items listed in the classification or taxonomy of social skills for primary education (Massé et al., 2006). Social Skills Rating necessary for Interpersonal relations (EHSRI) (Gattegno and De Fenoyl, 2004) was used to evaluate generalization with parents and teachers. Quantitative evaluation was carried out before the training program and at the last session.

Our findings highlighted an increase in the total score of social and emotional skills following the training sessions (T0: mean: 22.63, SD: 6.25; T1: mean: 34.38, SD: 9.71) (P=0.02) but less generalization. Nonverbal communication in EHSRI showed a significant increase (T0: mean: 6.62, SD: 2.55; T1: mean: 8.2, SD: 1.80) (P=0.04) in parental assessment. A positive development of social skills was found in the direct observation of the assessment made by parents and teachers. Children were more interactive and spontaneous with their partners and spoke about their emotions. Social attention and engagement were efficient.

This intervention appeared to be effective in stimulating social communicative development in children with ASD. These results appear to be consistent with the majority of studies in the literature (Baghdadli and Brisot, 2011; Cappadocia and Weiss, 1995). Bauminger (2002) made the same observation noting improved conversational skills in autistic children during the program. This study showed that social skills behaviors exhibited by children had generally improved since the beginning of the treatment, both in the clinic and at home or at school. Social skills were more frequently evident. Several studies (Salomon et al., 2004) show an improvement in emotional skills. Conduct of groups principles set out in the literature were respected. The training groups for autistic children provide real opportunities to build positive social experiences with peers. Children create friendships. The transmission of learning is based on cognitive-behavioral techniques (Andanson et al., 2011). Strengthening and shaping were used until the target behavior was attained. Modeling allowed the development of guidance or role play skills. Evaluating the long-term generalization of social communicative skills is of prime importance to provide in-depth analysis on the effectiveness of these training programs.