| Provision of Social Development services to pre-adolescent girls with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
“Children feel accepted to the extent that they believe that they are valued for who they are and not under coercion to become a new, different person.” (Asher, Parker and Walker 1996) Current service . The current service caters for 10 girls and is staffed by a group leader, support worker and one or more student volunteers. The current format is that of a core curriculum of friendship and life skills with modules for enrichment such as gymnastics and yoga (see appendix). Outcomes of current service. As we are dealing with the dynamics of human relationships it is important to see the outcomes of this program as an ongoing process. Over the course of three school terms the participants have shown a marked increase in their ability to communicate effectively with their peers, to share information and experiences and to choose to actively participate in the opportunities offered to them. Their capacity to relate to the experiences of others has developed as has their ability to respond appropriately to the experiences of and emotions displayed by their peers. (See term reports and parent and participant feedback). These important foundations have led to the development of a number of friendships within the group. These developing friendships have not been without their difficulties but with the safety net provided by the group the girls have been able to successfully negotiate some of the more difficult aspects of friendship. Rationale for the provision of services to preadolescent girls. Girls with Autism and Asperger syndrome are a minority population within the spectrum of Autism; the ratio being four males diagnosed to every female (Ehlers and Gillberg 1993). As a result of this imbalance in the prevalence of these conditions much of the literature, research and intervention strategies address the needs of the male with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A brief review of the literature yields only a handful of articles addressing the profiles and needs of females with Autism Spectrum Disorder (see Attwood 1999, Kopp and Gillberg 1992). Females with ASD present with a unique behavioural phenotype that differs from males (Kopp and Gillberg 1992) therefore may benefit from program design that addresses their unique needs. Within this service interventions and skill building programs designed for the male population have often proven to be unsuccessful when working with females on the spectrum. The personal and professional experiences of the author reveal that support for girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder should address the core deficits experienced and consider unique approaches to issues such as self esteem, identity, body image, sexuality and dealing with the dynamics of female friendship. Furthermore, it seems that the core deficits experienced by a person with ASD leave females particularly vulnerable to harassment, abuse and exploitation within society. Evidence from within this service demonstrates that many females have been sexually and physically abused. It is only through a program designed to meet the specific needs of females that these vulnerabilities can be effectively addressed and individuals empowered to recognise and deal with potentially abusive situations. The future of services. The Organisation’s ‘social skills’ services for preadolescent girls are currently time limited in that only one ‘school’ year of support is available for each client. What is apparent however is that the girls would benefit from a longer term opportunity to be supported to develop friendship skills and indeed long term friendships. Reports from the girls themselves show that many of them fail to form long term relationships with same or similar age peers at school. When discussing friendships Hartup (1992), states that the single best childhood predictor of adult adaptation is not school grades, and not classroom behaviour, but rather, the adequacy with which the child gets along with other children. If the school environment is not conducive to friendship for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder then it is important that opportunities to ‘get along with other children’ be provided elsewhere. Asher, Parker and Walker (1996), state that successful and stimulating shared experiences contribute to a sense of shared history, joint fate, and a perception of investment in the relationship making shared experiences the crucible for friendship formation. It is only over a longer period of time that individuals can build up a history of shared experience, thus time limited services do not provide realistic opportunities for friendships to develop. In addition, although friendships can mature in the settings in which they bud, they are assisted by invitations and opportunities for interaction outside the usual or original setting and an amount of time must pass before individuals feel comfortable making contact with each other outside of a core group (Asher, Parker and Walker 1996). The case may be argued that schools should provide environments that are able to support the formation of friendships between all of their students or that other longer term activities such as Scouts, Guides or sporting clubs would provide opportunities for these clients. The reality however is that this is not currently the case. Whilst efforts to educate the wider community about the effects of Autism Spectrum Disorders are ongoing, the capacity for the community to accommodate individuals with ASD’s is limited. Currently ASD specific services seem to be the most effective way to support preadolescent girls to form long term friendships. A proposed service model. What is proposed is that a girls club be open to girls with an ASD between the ages of eight and twelve for the entirety of this age period if required by the individual. Eligibility would be determined on the basis of need as assessed by the Social Development Team after an appropriate referral. The maximum number of places for this club would be expanded to 15, requiring an extra staff member, resulting in a client staff ratio of 1:5. The involvement of volunteers and students would also be crucial to the success of the program. The format would be similar to that of the current support provided with the flexibility to adapt to the needs of individuals. It is hoped that funding would be made available to make an initial purchase of equipment for the group and to purchase facilitator time for skill building opportunities such as drama, sport or art activities. Conclusion . In this short discussion the current service model and outcomes for pre-adolescent girls with ASD, have been presented as has a clear rationale for these services. The rationale also supports the continuation of these services and their expansion into a program the better meets the needs of the client group. References Attwood, T. (1999). The pattern of abilities and development of girls with Asperger’s Syndrome www.tonyattwood.com Asher, S. R., Parker, J. G., & Walker, D. (1996). Distinguishing friendship from acceptance: Implications for intervention and assessment. In W. M. Bukowski, A. F. Newcomb, & W. W. Hartup (Eds.), The company they keep: Friendships in childhood and adolescence (pp. 366-405). Cambridge University Press Ehlers, S and Gillberg, C. (1993). The epidemiology of Asperger's syndrome: A total population study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34(8), 1327-1350. Hartup, W. W. (1992). Having friends, making friends, and keeping friends: relationships as educational contexts. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Urbana IL. Kopp, S. and Gillberg, C. (1992) Girls with Social deficits and learning problems: autism, atypical Asperger syndrome or a variant of these conditions. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1(2) 89-99 HOME Back to Girls |