ABSTRACT

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with social adaptation and interpersonal relationships due to limitations they experience in areas such as joint attention, theory of mind skills, imitation, and language skills during early stages. Research indicates that children diagnosed with ASD encounter difficulties in relationships requiring social interaction, particularly in school, due to their deficits in social skills. As they grow older and by facing increasingly complex social environments, these difficulties tend to become more pronounced. The negative impact of limitations in social skills, especially on peer relationships, can lead to isolation, rejection, exclusion or experiences of peer bullying for these children. This review article highlights the limitations and deficiencies experienced by children diagnosed with ASD throughout their lives and aims to emphasize the importance of social skills intervention programs that enable these children to acquire necessary skills for functional social lives independently from their families. Many studies have shown the positive effects of social skills intervention programs on children diagnosed with ASD and their families. Social skills intervention programs for children diagnosed with ASD in Türkiye are quite limited. Developing evidence-based intervention programs and social policies aimed at actively implementing these programs will be a significant step towards ensuring the healthy development of children in this diagnostic group.