Treatment Effects in Social Cognition and Behavior following a Theater-based Intervention for Youth with Autism

ABSTRACT

This randomized clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov ID# NCT02276534) examined the impact of a peer-mediated, theater-based social skills intervention, SENSE Theater®, on social cognition and behavior in 77 youth (ages 8–16) with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Analysis of Covariance models revealed that post-treatment, the experimental group (n = 44) performed significantly better than the controls (n = 33) on NEPSY theory of mind (verbal) subtest, demonstrated increased neural evidence of memory for faces, and engaged in more cooperative play and verbal interaction with novel peers. The study extends previous findings showing that SENSE Theater® contributes to improvement in social cognition and behavior.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the University School of Nashville for their support and community partnership. We are indebted to the dedicated, supportive and creative peers that are vital to the SENSE program. Finally, we appreciate the commitment of the children and families that participate in our intervention research, some of whom travel great distances to participate.

Disclosure statement

Blythe Corbett is the founder of SENSE Theater® but derives no financial compensation from the nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity.

Dedication

This paper is dedicated to our long-standing theater director and friend, Catherine Coke. Her dedication to theater as a vital means of communication, social engagement, and support has been a cornerstone of SENSE Theater®

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported, in part, by NIMH R34 MH097793 (Corbett), NICHD Grant U54HD083211 to Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, a VKC Hobbs Discovery Award (Corbett & Key), and donations to SENSE Theater® to assist some families with travel costs.