Individuals with high functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) exhibit difficulties in the knowledge or correct
performance of social skills. This subgroup’s social difficulties appear to be associated with deficits in three social cognition
processes: theory of mind, emotion recognition and executive functioning. The current study outlines the development and initial
administration of the group-based Social Competence Intervention (SCI), which targeted these deficits using cognitive behavioral
principles. Across 27 students age 11–14 with a HFA/AS diagnosis, results indicated significant improvement on parent reports
of social skills and executive functioning. Participants evidenced significant growth on direct assessments measuring facial
expression recognition, theory of mind and problem solving. SCI appears promising, however, larger samples and application
in naturalistic settings are warranted.
Keywords Social competence - Asperger syndrome - High functioning autism - Cognitive behavioral intervention - Adolescents