Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37642875›Full record

Trial reportJournal of autism and developmental disorders2025

A Pilot Study on the FEST program - Friendship and Emotional Skills Training for Children on the Autism Spectrum.

Ágústa Á Arnardóttir, Laufey Á Guðmundsdóttir, Dagmar Kr Hannesdóttir, Freyr Halldórsson, Helga Auðardóttir, Berglind Sveinbjörnsdóttir

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 51% of its field
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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Ágústa Á ArnardóttirThe National Agency for Children and Families (Barna- og fjölskyldustofa), Reykjavik, Iceland. agusta.a.arnardottir@gmail.com.
Laufey Á GuðmundsdóttirChildren´s Mental Health Center for the Primary Health Care of the Capital Area (Gedheilsumistod barna Heilsugaeslu hofudborgarsvaedisins), Reykjavik, Iceland.
Dagmar Kr HannesdóttirChildren´s Mental Health Center for the Primary Health Care of the Capital Area (Gedheilsumistod barna Heilsugaeslu hofudborgarsvaedisins), Reykjavik, Iceland.
Freyr HalldórssonDepartment of Business Administration, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Helga AuðardóttirSOL clinic - Psychological and medical services for families, Kopavogur, Iceland.
Berglind SveinbjörnsdóttirDepartment of Psychology, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Reykjavík University · ISAdministration of Occupational Safety and Health · ISUniversity of Iceland · IS

Funding

Directorate of Health Reykjavík Iceland Directorate of Health Reykjavík Iceland
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSocial skills difficulties among children on the autism spectrum can impede social, emotional, and academic development, especially with increasing age and social demands. This pilot study examined the efficacy of a 5-week skill-building program for children on the autism spectrum. Although effective social skills programs are available for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), very few programs are explicitly intended for 10-12-year-old children.

methodsThis pilot study examined the efficacy of the 9-session Friendship and Emotional Skills Training (FEST Program) for children with ASD without intellectual disability. Participants were 22 children randomly assigned to the FEST Program or a delayed intervention control group. Eleven children (boys = 8; girls = 3) received the FEST Program in two separate groups, and 11 were wait-listed for a delayed intervention. Parents, teachers, and the children answered questionnaires at baseline, post-intervention, and a 3-month follow-up.

resultsUpon completing the FEST Program (post-intervention), parents reported an increase in overall social skills (on the Social Skills Rating System - SSRS) and a reduction on the Autistic Mannerisms factor (on the Social Responsiveness Scale - SRS) compared to the control group. These changes were also maintained at the 3-month follow-up. The children's assessment also showed a significant increase in assertion (on the SSRS) post-intervention. Teachers also reported a significant reduction on the Autistic Mannerisms factor at the 3-month follow-up.

conclusionThe findings suggest that the FEST Program shows some promising results as one possibility for supporting children with ASD and their families in everyday life.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderEmotionsFriendsSocial SkillsChildFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsTreatment OutcomeAutismChildrenFEST programGroup interventionSocial skills

Identifiers

PMID37642875
OpenAlexW4386253709

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.