Table 1.
Selected studies for social skills training for youth with ASD
| # | Authors (date) | Age range | % male | RCT conditions | n | Components | Follow-up | Primary outcome measures | Cochrane Risk-of-Bias rating (low/some/high) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2F studies | |||||||||
| 1 | Choque Olsson et al. (2017) | 8–17 | 70.03% | KONTAKT versus TAU | 296 | 12 weekly 60- (children) or 90-min-long (adolescents) sessions implemented by “regular clinical staff” | 3 months | SRS | Some |
| 2 | Dekker et al. (2019) | 9–13 | 84.43% | SST versus SST with PTI versus TAU | 122 | 15 weekly 90-min-long sessions implemented by 2 psychologists | 6 months | VAB; SSRS | Some |
| 3 | Freitag et al. (2016) | 8–19 | 92.82% | SOSTA-FRA versus TAU | 209 | 12 weekly 90-min-long sessions implemented by 2 CBT-trained therapists | 3 months | SRS | Some |
| 4 | Jonsson et al. (2018) | 8–17 | 70.00% | KONTAKT versus TAU | 50 | 24 weekly 60- (children) or 90-min-long (adolescents) sessions implemented by 2 or three therapists | 3 months | SRS-2 | Some |
| 5 | Laugeson et al. (2009) | 13–17 | 84.85% | PEERS versus WLC | 33 | 12 weekly 90-min-long group sessions for teens and parents separately (held at the same time) implemented by clinicians | - | SSRS; QPQ; TASSK; FQS | Some |
| 6 | Lopata et al. (2010) | 7–12 | 94.4% | Treatment versus WLC | 36 | 5 daily 70-min-long treatment cycles, for 5 weeks, and 5 weekly 90-min-long parent training sessions implemented by trained graduate and undergraduate students | Within 5 days | ASC; SRS; BASC-2-PRS; DANVA2 | Low/some |
| 7 | Marshall et al. (2016) | 5–15 | 74% | Treatment versus WLC | 50 | Stories were read to child by teacher 3 times each week for 2 weeks (total of 6 readings) | 6 weeks | SDQ; SRS-2 | Some |
| 8 | Matthews et al. (2018) | 13–17 | 82.22% | PEERS versus peer-mediated PEERS versus WLC | 34 | 14 weekly sessions implemented by 2 Bachelor’s- or Master’s-level clinicians | ~ 4–5 months (end of school year) | SRS-2; SSIS; QSQ-P; TASSK; SIAS | Some |
| 9 | Rabin et al. (2018) | 12–17 | 95.12% | PEERS in Hebrew versus WLC | 41 | 12 weekly 90-min-long manualized sessions of PEERS translated and adapted into Hebrew | 16 weeks | CASS; TASSK; QSQ; LSDQ; EQ; SRS-2; SSIS | Some |
| 10 | Schohl et al. (2014) | 11–16 | 81.03% | PEERS versus WLC | 58 | 14 weekly 90-min-long manualized group sessions of PEERS | - | VAB-II; TASSK; QSQ; FQS; SIAS; SRS; SSRS | Some |
| 11 | Shum et al. (2019) | 11–15 | 79.16% | PEERS (Hong Kong Chinese Version) versus WLC | 72 | 14 weekly 90-min-long manualized group sessions of PEERS translated and adapted to Hong Kong Chinese led by certified providers | 14 weeks | TASSK; QPQ; SRS-2; ABAS-II; ASBS | Some |
| 12 | Thomeer et al. (2019) | 7–12 | 84.21% | summerMAX versus WLC | 57 | Comprehensive CBT-based psychosocial treatment implemented by a community agency; 5 70-min treatment cycles daily 5 days per week for 5 weeks | 3 months | CASL; ASC; SRS-2; BASC-2-PRS | Some |
| 13 | Vernon et al. (2018) | 12–17 | 69.30% | START versus WLC | 40 | 20 weekly 90-min sessions implemented by “college-aged social facilitators” | - | SSIS; SRS-2; SMCS; | Some |
| 14 | White et al. (2013) | 12–17 | 76.67% | MASSI versus WLC | 30 | 13 60–70-min-long individual sessions and 7 75-min-long group meetings implemented by clinicians | 5 days | SRS; CASI-Anx; PARS; CGI-I; DD-CGAS | Some |
| BITs studies | |||||||||
| 15 | Hopkins et al. (2011) | 6–15 | 89.79% | FaceSay for HFASD versus FaceSay for LFASD versus control (used a different computer program for the same amount of time) | 49 | 6 bi-weekly 30-min-long sessions implemented at school and supervised by the researchers; computer-based software which uses avatars to teach social skills | 2 weeks | KBIT; CARS; BFRT; SSRS; SSO | Low |
| 16 | Rice et al. (2015) | 5–11 | 90.32% | FaceSay versus reading skills program (SuccessMaker) | 31 | 10 weekly 25-min-long sessions implemented via computer-based software (overseen by teachers in the school’s computer lab) | - | NEPSY-II; SRS-2 | Low |
| 17 | Thomeer et al. (2015) | 7–12 | 88.37% | Mind reading versus WLC | 43 | 2 90-min-long sessions per week for 12 weeks (24 total sessions) implemented via technology (in a college’s computer lab) | 5 weeks | CAM-C; ERDS; SRS; BASC-2 PRS | Some |
| 18 | Yun et al. (2017) | 4–7 | 100% | iRobiQ and CARO versus control group | 15 | 8 weekly 40-min-long sessions implemented by a therapeutic robot (TG) or a human (CG) | - | ADOS; EWHA-VABS; SCQ; SRS; K-CBCL | Some |
ABAS, Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition; ADOS, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; ASBS, Adolescent Social Behavior Scale; ASC, Adapted Skillstreaming Checklist; BASC-2 PRS, Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition - Parent Rating Scales; BFRT, Benton Facial Recognition Test; CAM-C, Cambridge Mindreading Face-Voice Battery for Children; CARS, Childhood Autism Rating Scale; CASI-Anx, Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4 ASD Anxiety Scale; CASL, Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language; CASS, Contextual Assessment of Social Skills; CBT, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy; CFT, Children’s Friendship Training; CGI-I, Clinical Global Impressions-Improvements scale; DANVA2, Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy2; DD-CGAS, Developmental Disabilities Modification of Children’s Global Assessment Scale; EHWA-VABS, Korean version of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale; EQ, Empathy Quotient; ERDS, Emotion Recognition and Display Survey; FQS, Friendship Qualities Scale; HFASD, high-functioning autism spectrum disorder; KBIT, Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test; K-CBCL, Korean-Child Behavior Checklist; K-PEERS, Korean version of PEERS intervention; LFASD, low-functioning autism spectrum disorder; LSDQ, Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire; M-CHAT, Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers; MASSI, Multimodal Anxiety and Social Skills Intervention; NDBI, Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions; NEPSY-II, A Developmental NEuroPSYchological Assessment-Second Edition; PARS, Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale; PEERS, Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills; QPQ, The Quality of Play Questionnaire; QSQ, Quality of Socialization Questionnaire; QSQ-P, Quality of Socialization Questionnaire-Parent Version; S.S.GRIN-HFA, Social Skills Group INtervention-High Functioning Autism; S.S.ToM, Social Skills and Theory of Mind Training; SCP-A, Social Competence with Peers Questionnaire-Adult; SCQ, Social Communication Questionnaire; SDQ, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SIAS, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale; SMCS, Social Motivation and Competencies Scale; SOSTA-FRA, Social Skills Training Autism-Frankfurt; SSIS, Social Skills Improvement System; SST-PTI, Social Skills Training with Parent & Teacher Involvement; START, Social Tools And Rules for Teens; SRS, Social Responsiveness Scale (pSRS, parent-rated SRS); SRS-2, Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition; SSO, Social Skills Observation; SSRS, Social Skills Rating Scale (pSSRS, parent-rated SSRS); TASSK, Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge; TAU, treatment as usual; WLC, waitlist control; ToMI, Theory of Mind Inventory; VAB, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales; VAB-II, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Second Edition;