Selfmanagementtraining for adolescents with a weak social competence; effectivity and predictive factors.

Development of social competence is of crucial importance for an adolescent
willing to function independently in our complex social world. It*s absence
leads to mutual misunderstanding, feelings of exclusion and dysfunctional
emotion regulation. More then any other stage of life, the stage of adolescence
is of crucial meaning for the development of social competence because of a
strong development of brain areas that are related to cognitive functions that
form the buildings blocks for social competence. At the same time, this stage
of life is characterized by an increasing appeal to an independent way of
social functioning. The severe consequences of a discrepancy between limited
social skills and social desires and expectations both from the adolescent and
his social network give rise to the investigation of the trainability of the
cognitive components of social in adolescents with limited social skills.
The research questions in this study are: 1) Can social competence in
adolescents with a weak developed social competence be strengthened? And 2)
which factors are predictive of the effectiveness of the training of social
skills?
Although it is known that social competence depends on interacting, biological,
psychological and social factors associated with the maturation of the brain,
the cognitive functions and behaviour, under the influence of the environment,
there is currently no clinical offer when it comes to 1) trainings that focus
on the underlying cognitive building blocks of social competence and 2)
trainings that focus on adolescents with weak social competence.
A new training will therefore be developed on the basis of the scientific
knowledge available on the cognitive functions and skills that are necessary
for development of social competence. The effect of the training is determined
by means of adolescents with high-functioning Autism (HFA) and adolescents with
Klinefelter's syndrome (SK) because serious limited social competence is a key
symptom of both disorders. It is important to examine the possibility of
training in these adolescents because there is a clear discrepancy between
their need for social contact and their lack of social competence. Determining
the predictive value of the cognitive profile for the effectiveness of the
training, more specific will contribute to a training that is well suited to
the competences of the adolescent and will therefore contribute to saving up
time and effort for both the adolescent and the therapist.

In this study, three main hypotheses are tested. The first hypothesis focuses
on the expectation that an intervention aimed at training cognitive components
of social competence affect the level of social competence and well-being of
adolescents with high functioning autism or Klinefelter*s syndrome. Effects are
measured using behavioral questionnaires for participants, parents and/or third
parties, through a diary method for participants and physiological measurements
using heart rate variability, skin conductance, motion and temperature
recording and measurement of cortisol in saliva.
The second hypothesis tests the expectation that an intervention aimed at
training of cognitive functions that underlie social competence has a positive
effect on the neurocognitive and social cognitive components of social
competence of young people with high functioning autism or Klinefelters*s
syndrome. Effects are measured by social cognitive an neurocognitve tests and
of measurements of visual social attention using EyeTracking.
The third hypothesis aims at understanding of the social cognitive and
neurocognitive functions that predict the effect of participation in the
training.
Correlation between function and this effect can be determined by means of
questionnaires for participants, parents and/or third parties and on the basis
of tests for higher order social cognitive and neurocognitive functions.

Randomized controlled trail (RTC) with repeated measures.

A group-oriented training aimed at improving social competence by influencing
social cognitive and neurocognitive components of social competence consisting
of 10 training sessions and 2 information sessions for families.

Benefits for the participants exist of the participation in a new training
aimed at improving social competence. Los of group effects, participation
delivers on an insight in the profile of strengths and weaknesses regarding
social competence and it*s building blocks. The result of this increased
knowledge could be that the participant wants more information or guidance. In
that case, he/she is invited for a follow-up conversation with the trainer.
When this question arises after expiry of the research the participant is
redirected to his therapist. The main objective of this research, determining
the effectiveness of a selfmanagementtraining on social competence, has a
direct impact on the participant since he can directly benefit from the results
of the research by an increase of his level of knowledge.