Nora Choque Olsson1, Oskar Flygare1, Christina Coco1, Anders Görling1, Anna Råde1, Qi Chen2, Katarina Lindstedt3, Steve Berggren1, Eva Serlachius4, Ulf Jonsson1, Kristiina Tammimies1, Lars Kjellin3, Sven Bölte5. 1. Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Neuropsychiatry Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm. 2. Karolinska Institutet. 3. University Health Care Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. 4. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatry Research. 5. Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Neuropsychiatry Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm. Electronic address: sven.bolte@ki.se.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:Social skills group training (SSGT) for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely applied, but effectiveness in real-world practice has not yet been properly evaluated. This study sought to bridge this gap. METHOD: This 12-week pragmatic randomized controlled trial of SSGT compared to standard care alone was conducted at 13 child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient units in Sweden. Twelve sessions of manualized SSGT ("KONTAKT") were delivered by regular clinical staff. Participants (N = 296; 88 females and 208 males) were children (n = 172) and adolescents (n = 124) aged 8 to 17 years with ASD without intellectual disability. The primary outcome was the Social Responsiveness Scale rating by parents and blinded teachers. Secondary outcomes included parent- and teacher-rated adaptive behaviors, trainer-rated global functioning and clinical severity, and self-reported child and caregiver stress. Assessments were made at baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up. Moderator analyses were conducted for age and gender. RESULTS: Significant treatment effects on the primary outcome were limited to parent ratings for the adolescent subgroup (posttreatment: -8.3; 95% CI = -14.2 to -1.9; p = .012, effect size [ES] = 0.32; follow-up: -8.6; 95% CI = -15.4 to -1.8; p = .015, ES = 0.33) and females (posttreatment: -8.9; 95% CI = -16.2 to -1.6; p = .019, ES = 0.40). Secondary outcomes indicated moderate effects on adaptive functioning and clinical severity. CONCLUSION:SSGT for children and adolescents with ASD in regular mental health services is feasible and safe. However, the modest and inconsistent effects underscore the importance of continued efforts to improve SSGT beyond current standards. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Social Skills Group Training ("KONTAKT") for Children and Adolescent With High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders; https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01854346.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: Social skills group training (SSGT) for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely applied, but effectiveness in real-world practice has not yet been properly evaluated. This study sought to bridge this gap. METHOD: This 12-week pragmatic randomized controlled trial of SSGT compared to standard care alone was conducted at 13 child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient units in Sweden. Twelve sessions of manualized SSGT ("KONTAKT") were delivered by regular clinical staff. Participants (N = 296; 88 females and 208 males) were children (n = 172) and adolescents (n = 124) aged 8 to 17 years with ASD without intellectual disability. The primary outcome was the Social Responsiveness Scale rating by parents and blinded teachers. Secondary outcomes included parent- and teacher-rated adaptive behaviors, trainer-rated global functioning and clinical severity, and self-reported child and caregiver stress. Assessments were made at baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up. Moderator analyses were conducted for age and gender. RESULTS: Significant treatment effects on the primary outcome were limited to parent ratings for the adolescent subgroup (posttreatment: -8.3; 95% CI = -14.2 to -1.9; p = .012, effect size [ES] = 0.32; follow-up: -8.6; 95% CI = -15.4 to -1.8; p = .015, ES = 0.33) and females (posttreatment: -8.9; 95% CI = -16.2 to -1.6; p = .019, ES = 0.40). Secondary outcomes indicated moderate effects on adaptive functioning and clinical severity. CONCLUSION: SSGT for children and adolescents with ASD in regular mental health services is feasible and safe. However, the modest and inconsistent effects underscore the importance of continued efforts to improve SSGT beyond current standards. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Social Skills Group Training ("KONTAKT") for Children and Adolescent With High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders; https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01854346.
Authors: Steven J Korzeniewski; Elizabeth N Allred; Robert M Joseph; Tim Heeren; Karl C K Kuban; T Michael O'Shea; Alan Leviton Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2017-10-13 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Sven Bölte; Kristiina Tammimies; Danyang Li; Nora Choque-Olsson; Hong Jiao; Nina Norgren; Ulf Jonsson Journal: NPJ Genom Med Date: 2020-10-12 Impact factor: 8.617
Authors: Erin E Soares; Kimberly Bausback; Charlotte L Beard; Megan Higinbotham; Eduard L Bunge; Grace W Gengoux Journal: J Technol Behav Sci Date: 2020-11-17