Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26077193›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of methods in psychiatric research2015

Outcome measures in intervention trials for adults with autism spectrum disorders; a systematic review of assessments of core autism features and associated emotional and behavioural problems.

Traolach S Brugha, Lucy Doos, Althea Tempier, Stewart Einfeld, Patricia Howlin

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of methods in psychiatric research, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Psychoeducational Interventions for Adults With Level 3 Autism Spectrum Disorder: A 50-Year Systematic Review.Cognitive and behavioral neurology : official journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology · 2019
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Predictors of placebo response in three large clinical trials of the V1a receptor antagonist balovaptan in autism spectrum disorder.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023
    Article
  15. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for autistic spectrum disorders.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Traolach S BrughaDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK.
Lucy DoosDepartment of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
Althea TempierDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Stewart EinfeldCentre for Disability Research and Policy, Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University Of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
Patricia HowlinDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A systematic review was conducted of outcome measures used in treatment trials for older adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Of 818 titles only 30 articles (19 of which involved pharmacological treatments) were identified that met inclusion criteria (sample size > 5; mean age of group > 15 years; mean IQ > 30; ASD diagnosis confirmed; use of objective ASD outcome measures; focus on symptoms core to or typically associated with ASDs). Selected studies included randomized and placebo-controlled trials, retrospective assessment studies, case series and open label or case-control trials. Use of outcome measures varied with frequent use of non-standardized assessments, very little use of measures designed specifically for individuals with ASD or of instruments focusing on core ASD deficits, such as communication or social functioning. Most commonly used were the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) rating scale and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The strengths or deficiencies of the outcome measures used were not systematically evaluated. Although there are now many well controlled treatment trials for children with ASDs, adult intervention research is very limited. The lack of valid and reliable outcome measures for adults with ASDs compromises attempts at treatment evaluation.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderOutcome Assessment, Health CareAdultClinical Trials as TopicDatabases, BibliographicFemaleHumansMaleMood DisordersProblem Behavioradultautismclinical trialsscale evaluationsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID26077193
PMCPMC6878529

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.