A Systematic Review of Group Social Skills Interventions, and Meta-analysis of Outcomes, for Children with High Functioning ASD.
J Wolstencroft, L Robinson, R Srinivasan and 3 others
PMID 29423608WHAT IT FOUND
Children and young people with high-functioning autism who joined group social skills programmes had fewer parent-rated social difficulties than delayed controls.
Gains were largest for social communication and repetitive behaviour, but problem behaviour did not improve.
Key findings
01Group social skills interventions produced a significant reduction in parent-rated total Social Responsiveness Scale scores compared with delayed controls.
02All Social Responsiveness Scale subscales improved compared with controls, and social communication and restricted interests and repetitive behaviour showed large effects.
03Parent-reported social skills improved on the Social Skills Rating System, but problem behaviours did not reach significance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
No study fully blinded participants, staff and outcome assessors, so expectancy effects could influence the results. The main evidence came from parent questionnaires, and parent reports can be biased by expectations. Only eight studies were combined, and some programme comparisons had small samples. The review did not measure social knowledge well because validated self-report and knowledge outcomes were lacking. Problem behaviour did not improve significantly, so the programmes should not be assumed to reduce behavioural difficulties. Only English-language randomised trials with delayed controls and parent-rated Social Responsiveness Scale or Social Skills Rating System outcomes were included, so other designs and outcome measures were not addressed.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these programmes improve social behaviour in school or community settings. The main result came from parent questionnaires, which can be influenced by expectations, and most outcome assessors were not blind.