Dosage. Gresham et al. (2001) recommended that social
skills interventions be implemented more intensely and
frequently than the level presently delivered to children with
social skills deficits. Although Gresham et al. did not recommend
a specific dosage, they stated that 30 hours of instruction,
spread over 10 to 12 weeks, was insufficient. The low
intervention effects observed in the present meta-analysis
may be attributed to the low level of instructional intensity
provided in the reviewed studies, which was considerably
lower than the 30-plus hours recommended. It is important to
note that the present study found no significant relationships
between length of intervention and intervention outcomes.
However, as in Mathur et al. (1998), many studies failed to
provide adequate descriptive information regarding the intervention
length and duration. Therefore, the results related to
intervention length and study outcomes should be interpreted
with caution. Children with ASD exhibit significant social
skills deficits that may potentially lead to academic, behavioral,
and emotional difficulties. As such, the recommendation
to increase instructional intensity is particularly salient
for this population of children. School personnel should look
for opportunities to teach and reinforce social skills as frequently
as possible throughout the school day. Future research
studies should provide more descriptive information
regarding intervention length and examine the relationship
between length of intervention and intervention outcomes.