Publication Date

8-2023

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Thomas Gross, Carl Myers, Ellen Casale

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

Unemployment and underemployment rates for college students with autism following graduation are higher than other college graduates. One area of need identified for students with autism is interview skill development. Therefore, it is important for them to improve their interviewing skills to help them better succeed in their search for employment. Currently, there are a variety of procedures used for improving interviewing skills with individuals with autism (e.g., video modeling, applied behavior analytic techniques, and virtual interviews). This study replicated the procedures of Stocco et al. (2017) and Roberts et al. (2021) who evaluated the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on the job interview skills of college students and young adults with autism, and extended the BST procedures to college students with autism. A multiple-baseline across behaviors experimental design was used to assess the effects of BST on the interview skills of appropriate responses, appropriate questions, and appropriate body language. It was found that, after BST, only one of the three participants demonstrated an increase in responding from baseline to generalization for all three skills; however, the other two participants still exhibited an increase in correct responding for two out of three skills. These results indicated that college students with ASD can benefit from BST to help improve interviewing skills. For future research, results suggested that it may be necessary to adapt the procedure based on individual needs.

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Available for download on Friday, July 18, 2025

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