Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26503990›Full record

Trial reportAutism : the international journal of research and practice2016

A trial of an iPad™ intervention targeting social communication skills in children with autism.

Sue Fletcher-Watson, Alexandra Petrou, Juliet Scott-Barrett, Pamela Dicks, Catherine Graham, Anne O'Hare, Helen Pain, Helen McConachie

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
52citing papers in PubMed, 13 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

52 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  8. Digital Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2021
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  9. Intervention Effects on Language in Children With Autism: A Project AIM Meta-Analysis.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR · 2020
    Pooled it
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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

8 authors.

Sue Fletcher-WatsonThe University of Edinburgh, UK sue.fletcher-watson@ed.ac.uk.
Alexandra PetrouNewcastle University, UK.
Juliet Scott-BarrettThe University of Edinburgh, UK.
Pamela DicksUniversity of Aberdeen, UK.
Catherine GrahamWestern General Hospital, UK.
Anne O'HareThe University of Edinburgh, UK.
Helen PainThe University of Edinburgh, UK.
Helen McConachieNewcastle University, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study evaluated a technology-based early intervention for social communication skills in pre-schoolers in a randomised controlled trial. Participants were 54 children aged under 6 years with a diagnosis of autism, assigned to either intervention or control conditions. The app engaged children, who played consistently, regardless of developmental level, and was rated highly by parents. There were no significant group differences in parent-report measures post-intervention, nor in a measure of parent-child play at follow-up. Therefore, this intervention did not have an observable impact on real-world social communication skills and caution is recommended about the potential usefulness of iPad(™) apps for amelioration of difficulties in interaction. However, positive attitudes among participants, lack of harms and the potential of apps to deliver therapeutic content at low economic cost suggest this approach is worth pursuing further, perhaps targeting other skill domains.

Indexed as

CommunicationSocial SkillsAutistic DisorderChild, PreschoolEarly Intervention, EducationalFemaleHumansInterpersonal RelationsMalePlay TherapySoftwareTherapy, Computer-AssistedTreatment Outcomeautism spectrum disorderinterventionrandomised controlled trialsocial communicationtechnology

Identifiers

PMID26503990
PMCPMC5015758

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.