{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T01:51:06Z","timestamp":1760233866618,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,4]],"date-time":"2021-03-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1614816000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004530","name":"Universiti Putra Malaysia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["GPS-IPS\/2016\/9499700"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GPS-IPS\/2016\/9499700"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004530","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This study evaluates the effectiveness of parent-assisted children\u2019s friendship training intervention for enhancing friendship quality and social skills among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We conducted a quasi-experimental study to investigate the effective outcomes of social skills and friendship quality in the pre-and post-parent-assisted CFT intervention phases; Methods: to conduct a 12-week field session, 30 children with their parents were selected. The Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales and the Quality of Play Questionnaire-Parent were used to assess the effectiveness of the parent-assisted children\u2019s friendship training during pre-and post-intervention. A semi-structured interview with parents was conducted at the end of the session; Results: findings revealed that intervention improved the social skills of these children. Additionally, the friendship quality of children with ASD improved before and after the intervention, however, engagement remained unchanged. Parents also showed some sort of improvement after the session as they reported a heightened sense of fear and resistance, awareness, learning and adjustment, change is not easy, and identifying support; Conclusions: there was clear evidence that children with ASD benefitted from parent-assisted CFTs in terms of social skills and friendship quality. However, larger and controlled studies are required to draw firm conclusions about this kind of intervention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18052566","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,4]],"date-time":"2021-03-04T21:58:07Z","timestamp":1614895087000},"page":"2566","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Parent-Assisted Children\u2019s Friendship Training to Improve Social Skills and Friendship Quality in Children with Autism in Malaysia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Sing Yee","family":"Ong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Malaysia"}]},{"given":"Samsilah","family":"Roslan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Malaysia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6230-3336","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nor Aniza","family":"Ahmad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Malaysia"}]},{"given":"Ahmad Fauzi Mohd","family":"Ayub","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Malaysia"}]},{"given":"Chen Lee","family":"Ping","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia"}]},{"given":"Zeinab","family":"Zaremohzzabieh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Malaysia"}]},{"given":"Seyedali","family":"Ahrari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Malaysia"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder","volume":"145","author":"Hyman","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.1177\/1088357610380595","article-title":"Group Social Skills Instruction for Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders","volume":"25","author":"White","year":"2010","journal-title":"Focus Autism Other Dev. 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