Short report: A quantitative methodological review of participant characteristics in the literature testing mental health interventions for youth with autism spectrum disorder.
Kelsey S Dickson, Megan Ledoux Galligan, Ho Lok
PMID 34806428WHAT IT FOUND
Trials of mental health treatments for autistic youth rarely include transition-age individuals, females, or those with lower cognitive abilities.
This means evidence is thin for the patients most likely to need help in community settings.
Key findings
01Only 8.6% of included studies had participants aged 19–25, leaving a gap in evidence for transition-age autistic youth.
02Most trials excluded or did not specify participants with lower cognitive abilities, with only 32.6% of those reporting cognition including IQ scores below 70.
03Female participants made up an average of 21.1% of samples, and providers were largely doctoral-level psychologists, which does not match typical community mental health workforces.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The review only included studies with sample sizes greater than 10, excluding single-subject or case study designs. Many studies did not report key demographic or clinical characteristics, such as race/ethnicity or specific cognitive criteria, leading to incomplete data. The review focused on psychosocial interventions, so it does not address evidence for pharmacological treatments.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by N.I.H. grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that mental health interventions proven effective in these trials will work for your patients with lower cognitive abilities, aggressive behaviors, or those who are female or transition-age, as these groups were largely excluded from the evidence base.