d-Cycloserine enhances durability of social skills training in autism spectrum disorder.
Logan K Wink, Noha F Minshawi, Rebecca C Shaffer and 9 others
PMID 28138381WHAT IT FOUND
At the end of treatment, d-cycloserine did not improve social scores more than placebo.
But children given it before social skills training had better maintained parent-rated social gains at week 22.
Key findings
01At week 22, the d-cycloserine group's estimated mean SRS total raw score was 85.1 and the placebo group's was 91.5, with a treatment effect of -6.4 (p = 0.042); higher SRS scores mean more social impairment.
02At week 11, the change in SRS scores from baseline showed no statistically significant difference between the d-cycloserine and placebo groups.
03The social cognition subscale showed the greatest between-group difference (p = 0.003), and this remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study required IQ above 70 and communication standard score above 70. It may not apply to children with more severe cognitive or communication difficulties. There was no significant difference between groups at the end of the 10-week treatment phase. The week-22 result is a follow-up finding. The SRS total raw score ranges from 0 to 195 and was designed as an assessment tool rather than an outcome measure. Exact score changes are hard to interpret. The data contained outliers. The analysis used a robust model that downweighted them rather than removing them. The eye-tracking result was only a pilot in 38 subjects. The social skills curriculum was not validated outside this study. Sixty of 68 enrolled children completed week 22. Four were lost during active treatment and four during follow-up.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report funding or conflict-of-interest declarations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that d-cycloserine alone improves social skills. The children received d-cycloserine or placebo 30 minutes before each of 10 weekly peer-mediated social skills sessions, and the week-22 difference compared the drug group with a placebo group that had the same training. There was also no significant difference at week 11.