A Treatment to Enhance Social Reading Capabilities in a Gifted Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been shown to have social cognitive issues .The purpose of this clinical case study was to describe the social cognition examination and therapy of a gifted child, SC (9 years old), who had ASD and a very high verbal IQ (146). The objectives of the treatment were to improve the child’s capability of decoding social behavior, and enhance his mentalistic reasoning. Theory of mind, emotion perception, and pragmatic abilities were all assessed and found to have certain flaws. SC's ability to perceive emotions and interpret mental states were to be improved during the four-month treatment, which was divided into 14 sessions. The intervention's major strategy was "social reading" with video clips. Following the treatment, the first assessment was repeated in a follow-up session. At the end of the treatment and at follow-up the social cognition measures showed some improvement. The findings of this case study imply that "social reading" may be a useful strategy for children with high-functioning ASD, particularly those with giftedness.