(PS4-34) Evidence-based Social Skills Interventions for Youth on the Autism Spectrum: A Systematic Review of the Recent Literature

Background: Issues with social interactions are a core feature of autism and are considered one of the major sources of difficulty regardless of intellectual or language ability of autistic youth. Thus, a target of the treatment of autism involves social skills interventions that provide social training that allows for an autistic child to assimilate in a social world. However, these interventions vary greatly in design, framework, intensity, outcome measures, and methodology. Social skills interventions have been reported, additionally, as unaligned with the social goals reported by the autistic advocacy community. Thus, the inconsistent efficacy has yet to be examined within a standardized context, such as using the established review criteria for evidence-based updates.

Methods: Therefore, a systematic review was conducted of the past 15 years of evidence-based randomized control trials of social skills interventions. Twenty-eight articles describing social skills interventions for youth on the autism spectrum were located and classified using the standardized APA Division 53 evidence-based criteria. Additionally, outcome measures were classified for social and construct validity.

Results: Majority of interventions were classified as “probably or possibly efficacious” (Level 2 & 3). Outcome measures varied drastically between interventions and practical significance across psychometrically valid outcome measures were low. Participant input was not used in intervention design for majority of interventions. Implications: The efficacy of social skills interventions could be improved by aligning their design and goals with the goals of autistic youth, as well as utilizing standardized outcome measures. As such, recommendations are provided to enhance community engagement and advocacy in the role of implementing helpful social skills interventions.