Superheroes Social Skills Program: A Replication with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Pakistan

This study investigated the efficacy of the Superheroes Social Skills program in increasing social engagement of four elementary-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Pakistan, where English was spoken as a second language. The investigators implemented the first six lessons from the program in the classroom and assessed its efficacy through observations made during a recess period. Although the skills were trained in one context (i.e., the classroom), observations showed that the participants increased social engagement in a second environment (i.e., recess playground) in which the skills had not been taught. Social engagement effect sizes were in the moderate to large range with larger effect sizes for social responses than for social initiations. The authors discuss the implications and research needs for implementing social skills programs in diverse cultures.