Article type
Abstract
Background：The guidelines recommend group social skills interventions(GSSI) as a first-line treatment to help people with autism spectrum disorders(ASD) improve their social impairment and establish good relationships.
Objective: To rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of GSSI for improvement in autistic patients and verify the strength and effectiveness of the evidence.
Methods: Systematic retrieval to four database, and references were also supplemented were searched to collect the randomized controlled studies (RCTs) on GSSI in the treatment of ASD, and the retrieval time was completed by November 12, 2022. Risk of bias was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook. Continuous data were combined using standardized mean difference (SMD) with the 95%CI. STATA 15.0 was used for meta-analysis, and finally use GRADE tool to assess the quality of evidence.
Results: 28 RCTs evaluating the effects. Compared to delayed treatment control group (DTC), GSSI participants obtained better outcomes with a substantial reduction in Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) total scores (SMD = - 0.54, 95%CI [-0.72, -0.37], P= 0.000); Social skills rating system(SSRS) showed that GSSI relative to controls had better outcomes, social skills subscale(SMD= 0.46, 95%CI [0.21, 0.70], P= 0.000); Quality of Socialization Questionnaire (QSQ) score showed that the DTC group showed a significantly increase in caregiver-reported hosted get-togethers (SMD= 0.64, 95%CI [0.36, 0.92], Z= 4.49, P= 0.000).Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge (TASSK) post-intervention scores in the GSST and DTC groups showed improvement in the TASSK in the GSSI group(SMD= 1.80, 95%CI [1.36, 2.24], Z= 7.98, P= 0.000); The comparison of Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language(CASL idiom) between the treatment group and the control group after intervention showed that the language score of the DTC group increased in the total score of CASL idiom, but the difference was not statistically significant(SMD= 0.31, 95%CI [-0.04, 0.66], Z= 1.71, P= 0.086). GRADE evidence quality is generally low.
Conclusion: The available evidence suggests that GSSI helps people with autism to improve social skills, Because of the low quality of the research, so further high-quality studies are recommended to verify.
Objective: To rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of GSSI for improvement in autistic patients and verify the strength and effectiveness of the evidence.
Methods: Systematic retrieval to four database, and references were also supplemented were searched to collect the randomized controlled studies (RCTs) on GSSI in the treatment of ASD, and the retrieval time was completed by November 12, 2022. Risk of bias was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook. Continuous data were combined using standardized mean difference (SMD) with the 95%CI. STATA 15.0 was used for meta-analysis, and finally use GRADE tool to assess the quality of evidence.
Results: 28 RCTs evaluating the effects. Compared to delayed treatment control group (DTC), GSSI participants obtained better outcomes with a substantial reduction in Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) total scores (SMD = - 0.54, 95%CI [-0.72, -0.37], P= 0.000); Social skills rating system(SSRS) showed that GSSI relative to controls had better outcomes, social skills subscale(SMD= 0.46, 95%CI [0.21, 0.70], P= 0.000); Quality of Socialization Questionnaire (QSQ) score showed that the DTC group showed a significantly increase in caregiver-reported hosted get-togethers (SMD= 0.64, 95%CI [0.36, 0.92], Z= 4.49, P= 0.000).Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge (TASSK) post-intervention scores in the GSST and DTC groups showed improvement in the TASSK in the GSSI group(SMD= 1.80, 95%CI [1.36, 2.24], Z= 7.98, P= 0.000); The comparison of Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language(CASL idiom) between the treatment group and the control group after intervention showed that the language score of the DTC group increased in the total score of CASL idiom, but the difference was not statistically significant(SMD= 0.31, 95%CI [-0.04, 0.66], Z= 1.71, P= 0.086). GRADE evidence quality is generally low.
Conclusion: The available evidence suggests that GSSI helps people with autism to improve social skills, Because of the low quality of the research, so further high-quality studies are recommended to verify.