Saeed Rahimi Pordanjani - Department of Human Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, Shahre Kord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder severely damages children’s social skills, cognitive functions, and emotional self-regulation. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of drama therapy on the social skills of children with high-functioning autism. Methods: The research design was experimental with a pre-test, post-test and a control group. The statistical population included ۱۲۰ children with high-functioning autism in special education centers in Isfahan City, Iran. For this purpose, ۴۰ children with high-functioning autism disorder were randomly selected by purposive sampling method and using Morgan’s table. Then, they were assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a drama therapy program, and the control group was placed on a waiting list. The children’s instructors completed the Matson social skills questionnaire at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up three months later. Results: Analysis of the results using repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the drama therapy was effective on the participants’ social skills in the experimental group (P<۰.۰۵). Conclusion: Drama therapy will improve their social skills and performance in this field. Therefore, this study’s findings might be helpful as practical strategies for practitioners in the field of autism.

Drama therapy, Social skills, Autism, Social action, Interaction