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Social Emotional and Behavioral Assessment and School-Based Intervention for Adolescents with High Functioning ASD

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Postsecondary Transition for College- or Career-Bound Autistic Students

Abstract

Accurate assessment of behavioral, social, and emotional difficulties in adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) is a vital component of intervention planning and evaluation. Furthermore, understanding the needs of this population with accurate assessment will aid in the postsecondary transition process. The unique challenges faced by adolescents during this often confusing emotional and social period in development, coupled with the innate social difficulties that are the hallmark of autism spectrum disorder, complicate the assessment and intervention process. School psychologists must be familiar with the literature on behavioral, emotional, and social assessment and intervention for adolescents with HFASD to best serve this population. This chapter presents a summary of the social difficulties experienced by adolescents with HFASD and discusses the assessment of ASD-specific characteristics through various types of measurement tools. Specific social skills measures that can be used to evaluate intervention effectiveness and the assessment of comorbid disorders in adolescents with HFASD are described. This chapter concludes with a summary of various school-based interventions that can be implemented by school psychologists, school counselors, and behavioral therapists.

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Dale, B.A., Sciuchetti, M.B., McIntosh, D.E. (2022). Social Emotional and Behavioral Assessment and School-Based Intervention for Adolescents with High Functioning ASD. In: Viezel, K.D., Wilczynski, S.M., Davis, A.S. (eds) Postsecondary Transition for College- or Career-Bound Autistic Students. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93947-2_5

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