Adolescence and young adulthood are challenging periods in general and even more so for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who are required to undergo preparation and training for adult life in the community. Adolescents and young adults with autism report limited independence and social participation but express a desire to be independent in their daily lives and to participate in a variety of social opportunities. Therefore, increasing participation in meaningful occupations is one of the central goals in treatments at these ages, while setting personalized goals and adapting a functional intervention program.

The SPAN (Social Participation And Navigation) program is a remote intervention program that has been adapted for adolescents and young adults with autism and focuses on promoting personal goals within the framework of short-term online remote intervention. During the program, the therapist helps the participant define a personal goal, break it down into objectives, develop a plan to achieve it, and identify strategies and strengths that will help in achieving the goal.

General description of the SPAN intervention program:

• The program includes individual remote intervention, conducted through video calls (ZOOM or GOOGLE MEET).

• The duration of each meeting is 30–45 minutes, according to the participant’s needs and abilities.

• The intervention includes approximately 8 meetings: two introductory meetings to identify and define the intervention goals, five meetings to promote the defined goals, and a concluding meeting to examine the achievement of the goals and conclude the process.

• Throughout the intervention, a dedicated website is used, which includes an open information area and a secure personal area requiring login with a username and password, serving as the personal therapeutic space of the participant and therapist.

Preliminary findings on the effectiveness of the SPAN intervention from a pilot study conducted among 12 adolescents with ASD:

• Most of the adolescents (N=10) succeeded in achieving the goals they set for themselves.

• Most of the adolescents (N=10) showed an increase in their satisfaction with the way they achieved/performed their goal.

• The adolescents showed a significant increase in their perception of their ability to define goals, plan a program, and act to achieve it.

• Most of the adolescents (N=10) succeeded in defining a new goal, acting to achieve it, and achieving it independently after the intervention.

At present, we are conducting another round of the SPAN program for adolescents and adults with ASD and invite you to participate.

You are welcome to contact us:
Einat Yaar : einatyaar@gmail.com, 050-7221330