The Need for Longitudinal, Intensive Social Skill Intervention

In this article, we suggest the need to embed social skills intervention within the more general context of long-term early intervention efforts that promote all dimensions of developmental performance. Although the field has advanced on many fronts during the last 30 years, we believe that the limits of isolated social skills training over brief periods of time have been reached. To support the call for more comprehensive and intensive intervention efforts, we offer preliminary results from an 18-year study to address the social and related needs of young children with autism. Contrary to the usually gloomy picture of social skills intervention evaluated across time and contexts, the former clients of the LEAP program demonstrate evidence of sustained growth and development over nearly two decades.