• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.115-128
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• 2023

This study examines the effects of a new app-based intervention program for conversational skills of children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants in this study comprised 26 children diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome, or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Participants were randomly assigned into a treatment group or a control group according to their ages, IQ, SCQ, and ASSQ scores. The treatment group met with teachers once a week for a single non-face-to-face class for nine weeks, along with conversation training at home using an app. The control group did not participate in any specific programs for conversational skills. Conversation data of all participants were collected before and after the intervention to compare the two groups based on changes in the conversational turn-taking and topic manipulation skills. When analyzed with respect to a Group X Period analysis of variance (ANOVA), the data indicated maintenance on the rate of appropriate listener's verbal responses in the treatment group, whereas the rate of inappropriate listener's verbal response significantly declined in the control group. In addition, the rate of conversation initiation and maintenance and the rate of appropriate initiation improved in the treatment group, whereas the rate of inappropriate initiation declined in this group. Overall, the study demonstrates promising effects of the novel App-based digital intervention on verbal conversational skills in children with high function ASD.