SynthesisPloS one2014
Systematic review of the properties of tools used to measure outcomes in anxiety intervention studies for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Research Review: Conceptualizing and measuring 'problem behavior' in early intervention autism research - a project AIM secondary systematic review.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025Pooled it
- Benefits and harms of interventions to improve anxiety, depression, and other mental health outcomes for autistic people: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Pooled it
- Suicidality Among Children and Youth With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Existing Risk Assessment Tools.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2020Pooled it
- Measurement properties of depression questionnaires in patients with diabetes: a systematic review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2018Pooled it
- Measurement properties of tools used to assess depression in adults with and without autism spectrum conditions: A systematic review.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2018Pooled it
- The quality of systematic reviews of health-related outcome measurement instruments.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2016Pooled it
- Systematic Review of the Measurement Properties of Tools Used to Measure Behaviour Problems in Young Children with Autism.PloS one · 2015Pooled it
- A systematic review of treatments for anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2014Pooled it
- A randomized placebo-controlled pilot trial shows that intranasal vasopressin improves social deficits in children with autism.Science translational medicine · 2019Trial
- Exploring Alexithymia, Uncertainty, Anxious Arousal, and Social Anxiety as Mediators of the Relationship Between Sensory Processing Differences and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Autistic Adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Adapting Measures of Anxiety and Mood Disorders for Use with Autistic Adults: A Systematic Review.Current developmental disorders reports · 2026Review
- Stability and Validity of Self-Reported Depression and Anxiety in Autistic Youth.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- A Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Anxiety Scale for Autism-Adults in a Sample of Autistic and Non-Autistic Men and Women.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Outcome Measures in intellectual disability: A Review and narrative synthesis of validated instruments.The International journal of social psychiatry · 2025Review
- Investigating the role of three screening measures to support clinical decision-making in adult autism assessments.PloS one · 2025Article
- Trends in research related to anxiety disorders on the autism spectrum: a bibliometric study.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2025Review
- Early detection of anxiety symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An exploratory study in a Spanish sample of 3-6 year old children.PloS one · 2025Article
- Measuring Anxiety in Autistic Children: Assessing the Validity of the Anxiety Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2024Article
- A Scoping Review of Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcome Measures for Children and Young People: Implications for Children in Out-of-home Care.Journal of child & adolescent trauma · 2024Article
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction for autistic adults: A feasibility study in an outpatient context.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEvidence about relevant outcomes is required in the evaluation of clinical interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, to date, the variety of outcome measurement tools being used, and lack of knowledge about the measurement properties of some, compromise conclusions regarding the most effective interventions.
objectivesThis two-stage systematic review aimed to identify the tools used in studies evaluating interventions for anxiety for high-functioning children with ASD in middle childhood, and then to evaluate the tools for their appropriateness and measurement properties.
methodsElectronic databases including Medline, PsychInfo, Embase, and the Cochrane database and registers were searched for anxiety intervention studies for children with ASD in middle childhood. Articles examining the measurement properties of the tools used were then searched for using a methodological filter in PubMed, and the quality of the papers evaluated using the COSMIN checklist.
resultsTen intervention studies were identified in which six tools measuring anxiety and one of overall symptom change were used as primary outcomes. One further tool was included as it is recommended for standard use in UK children's mental health services. Sixty three articles on the properties of the tools were evaluated for the quality of evidence, and the quality of the measurement properties of each tool was summarised.
conclusionsOverall three questionnaires were found robust in their measurement properties, the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, its revised version - the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale, and also the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders. Crucially the articles on measurement properties provided almost no evidence on responsiveness to change, nor on the validity of use of the tools for evaluation of interventions for children with ASD. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42012002684.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.