Gyvenant permainų visoumenėje vis daugiau dėmesio skiriama jaunuolių socialinių įgūdžių ugdymui. Socialinių įgūdžių ugdymas padeda asmeniui prisitaikyti socialinėje aplinkoje ir kartu gerinti aplinkos sąlygas siekiant užtikrinti sėkmingą asmenybės funkcionavimą. / In the society of changes the training of social skills is paid more and more attention. The training of social skills helps the person to conform in a social environment and to improve the surrounding in order to warrant successful work.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2004. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-120). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

To better understand the difficulties and strengths associated with both high and low functioning individuals with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), the hyper-systemising theory has been proposed by Baron-Cohen and colleagues. It explains the social and communication difficulties in autism and Asperger syndrome (AS) by reference to delays and deficits in empathy, whilst explaining the areas of strength by reference to intact or even superior skill in systemising (Baron-Cohen, 2002). The evidence for hypersystemising alongside hypo-empathising in autism, suggests a corresponding desire to systemise the social world. Based on this theory, the use of technology in supporting the development of social and communication skills in children with an ASD is discussed. Technology and computers rely on strict, predictable systems made up of sets of rules that can be programmed, determined and understood. Use of such technology to assist in the development of social skills in an individual with an ASD utilises an existing area of strength and engages a person in an often existing area of interest and/or obsession. This thesis describes an exploratory study using non-humanoid robots with a group of young people with either high-functioning autism (HFA) or AS, which aimed to use robots as a focus of shared attention in a more naturally occurring and systemisable environment; thus promoting more implicit learning of social skills for this clinical group. Ten children attended the ‘robot club’ for eight sessions enabling a design using a series of single case studies pooled together for multiple and individual base line comparisons. The results indicate improvements as rated by parents and the young people themselves (although not by teachers), with some evidence of statistical and clinically significant changes, for example, in communication skills specifically and with general difficulties associated with autism. The results were found to be affected by total number of sessions attended, but not by age or academic functioning. Possible implications of the findings are presented in line with theory and for clinical practise. Limitations of the study are discussed and suggestions for future research made.

The critical role of children’s play in the development of peer relationships, social and communicative skills is reviewed and discussed. The difficulties experienced by a pre-school learner in engaging in peer relationships, communicating successfully in a classroom situation and constructively using play materials was explained. This was done through the use of anecdotal records, checklists, questionnaires, photographic evidence and a semi-structured interview with the learner’s parent. A pre-school play programme, using blocks, dough and puppets (BDP Programme) was devised and used to assess its influence on the acquisition of social and communicative skills by a non-social and non-communicative learner. The study found the BDP Programme to be very successful in assisting this learner to develop peer relationships and communicative skills in the peer group and thus played a critical role in the social development of this learner. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a aplicação do Inventário de Habilidades Sociais de Del Prette (IHS) na mensuração das Habilidades Sociais e suas correlações com variáveis psicopatológicas e neuropsicológicas em pacientes com esquizofrenia, em comparação com controles normais. MÉTODOS: Este estudo é parte de um ensaio clinico que avaliou a eficácia do Treino de Habilidades Sociais em pacientes com esquizofrenia e onde foram utilizados vários instrumentos e, entre eles, o IHS para avaliação de Habilidades Sociais, a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) para avaliação da Psicopatologia e a Wechsler Abbrevited Scale of Intelligence (WASI) como medida geral de avaliação da inteligência. O estudo foi realizado no ambulatório de dois centros especializados (Projesq do Instituto de Psiquiatria do HC FMUSP e Proesq da Universidade Federal de São Paulo) nos quais 91 pacientes com diagnostico de esquizofrenia pelo DSM IV TR, com diferentes níveis de gravidade ( 62 refratários e 29 não refratários), foram comparados com controles 108 controles normais. Para comparação entre variáveis foram utilizados teste t de Student, Análise de Variância e Covariância e para o estudo das correlações um modelo de Regressão Linear. .Resultados: Pacientes com esquizofrenia apresentaram comprometimento significativamente maior de suas habilidades sociais, avaliadas pelos cinco fatores do IHS, quando comparados com controles normais, exceto para o Fator F5 (auto-controle da agressividade). Não foram encontradas diferenças de habilidades sociais entre os subgrupos de pacientes divididos de acordo com sua gravidade. Os fatores do IHS não se correlacionaram significativamente com as subescalas da PANSS, com exceção do fator F3 (conversação e desenvoltura social), que se correlacionou inversamente com a gravidade da subescala de Psicopatologia Geral da PANSS. Não foram observadas correlações entre os fatores do IHS e as três dimensões do WASI (Verbal, Execução e Total). CONCLUSÕES: O Inventário de Habilidades Sociais mostrou ser um instrumento capaz de detectar o comprometimento das habilidades sociais em pacientes com esquizofrenia, quando comparados com controles normais. Não foram observadas diferenças entre os subgrupos de pacientes quanto à gravidade do quadro, bem como em relação à maioria das variáveis psicopatológicas ou neuropsicológicas mensuradas, fazendo supor que as habilidades sociais representem uma dimensão independente do funcionamento social na esquizofrenia / AIM: To evaluate the use of Del Prettes Social Skills Inventory ( IHS) in the measurement of Social Skills e their correlations with psychopathological and neuropsychological variables in patients with schizophrenia comparing with normal controls. METHODS: This study is part of a clinical trial which evaluated the efficacy of Social Skills Training in patients with schizophrenia and which utilized several instruments such as the IHS for the evaluations of Social Skills, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for the evaluation of Psychopathology and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) as a measure of general intelligence. The study was developed in two specialized centers (Projesq of the Institute of Psychiatry of University of São Paulo General Hospital and Proesq of the Federal University of São Paulo) where 91 patients with a DSM IV_TR diagnostic of schizophrenia, with different levels of severity (62 refractory and 29 non refractory) were compared with 108 normal controls. Comparisons between variables were performed using t tests, Analysis of Variance and Covariance, and for correlations a Linear Regression Model. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia, when compared with normal controls, showed a significant impairment in their social skills, as measured by the 5 factors of the IHS, except for factor F5 (self control of aggression). Patients showed no differences in terms of social skills regarding severity. No significant correlations where found between the IHS factors the PANSS subscales, except the F3 factor (conversation and social performance) which inversely correlated with the General Psychopathology subscale. Additionally we found no correlations between IHS factors and the 3 WASI dimensions (Verbal, Executive and Total).CONCLUSIONS: The Social Skills Inventory was able to detect socials skills impairment in patients with schizophrenia, as compared to normal controls. No relationship were found between IHS and severity, psychopathology or cognitive measures and, therefore, we may hypothesize that Social Skills may represent and independent dimension of the social functioning in schizophrenia

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a aplicação do Inventário de Habilidades Sociais de Del Prette (IHS) na mensuração das Habilidades Sociais e suas correlações com variáveis psicopatológicas e neuropsicológicas em pacientes com esquizofrenia, em comparação com controles normais. MÉTODOS: Este estudo é parte de um ensaio clinico que avaliou a eficácia do Treino de Habilidades Sociais em pacientes com esquizofrenia e onde foram utilizados vários instrumentos e, entre eles, o IHS para avaliação de Habilidades Sociais, a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) para avaliação da Psicopatologia e a Wechsler Abbrevited Scale of Intelligence (WASI) como medida geral de avaliação da inteligência. O estudo foi realizado no ambulatório de dois centros especializados (Projesq do Instituto de Psiquiatria do HC FMUSP e Proesq da Universidade Federal de São Paulo) nos quais 91 pacientes com diagnostico de esquizofrenia pelo DSM IV TR, com diferentes níveis de gravidade ( 62 refratários e 29 não refratários), foram comparados com controles 108 controles normais. Para comparação entre variáveis foram utilizados teste t de Student, Análise de Variância e Covariância e para o estudo das correlações um modelo de Regressão Linear. .Resultados: Pacientes com esquizofrenia apresentaram comprometimento significativamente maior de suas habilidades sociais, avaliadas pelos cinco fatores do IHS, quando comparados com controles normais, exceto para o Fator F5 (auto-controle da agressividade). Não foram encontradas diferenças de habilidades sociais entre os subgrupos de pacientes divididos de acordo com sua gravidade. Os fatores do IHS não se correlacionaram significativamente com as subescalas da PANSS, com exceção do fator F3 (conversação e desenvoltura social), que se correlacionou inversamente com a gravidade da subescala de Psicopatologia Geral da PANSS. Não foram observadas correlações entre os fatores do IHS e as três dimensões do WASI (Verbal, Execução e Total). CONCLUSÕES: O Inventário de Habilidades Sociais mostrou ser um instrumento capaz de detectar o comprometimento das habilidades sociais em pacientes com esquizofrenia, quando comparados com controles normais. Não foram observadas diferenças entre os subgrupos de pacientes quanto à gravidade do quadro, bem como em relação à maioria das variáveis psicopatológicas ou neuropsicológicas mensuradas, fazendo supor que as habilidades sociais representem uma dimensão independente do funcionamento social na esquizofrenia / AIM: To evaluate the use of Del Prettes Social Skills Inventory ( IHS) in the measurement of Social Skills e their correlations with psychopathological and neuropsychological variables in patients with schizophrenia comparing with normal controls. METHODS: This study is part of a clinical trial which evaluated the efficacy of Social Skills Training in patients with schizophrenia and which utilized several instruments such as the IHS for the evaluations of Social Skills, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for the evaluation of Psychopathology and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) as a measure of general intelligence. The study was developed in two specialized centers (Projesq of the Institute of Psychiatry of University of São Paulo General Hospital and Proesq of the Federal University of São Paulo) where 91 patients with a DSM IV_TR diagnostic of schizophrenia, with different levels of severity (62 refractory and 29 non refractory) were compared with 108 normal controls. Comparisons between variables were performed using t tests, Analysis of Variance and Covariance, and for correlations a Linear Regression Model. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia, when compared with normal controls, showed a significant impairment in their social skills, as measured by the 5 factors of the IHS, except for factor F5 (self control of aggression). Patients showed no differences in terms of social skills regarding severity. No significant correlations where found between the IHS factors the PANSS subscales, except the F3 factor (conversation and social performance) which inversely correlated with the General Psychopathology subscale. Additionally we found no correlations between IHS factors and the 3 WASI dimensions (Verbal, Executive and Total).CONCLUSIONS: The Social Skills Inventory was able to detect socials skills impairment in patients with schizophrenia, as compared to normal controls. No relationship were found between IHS and severity, psychopathology or cognitive measures and, therefore, we may hypothesize that Social Skills may represent and independent dimension of the social functioning in schizophrenia

The project contributes to the significance of special education by providing information on how to identify early signs of autism in order to implement appropriate strategies as early as possible and by examining the effectiveness of early intervention programs. A quantitative and qualitative approach was used to measure the responses of parents and special educators regarding the importance of early detection of autism for early socialization of children before entering the school setting.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.