SynthesisJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026
Evaluating Free Serious Game-Based Apps for Teaching Socio-Emotional Skills to Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Systematic Review of the Smartphone Markets.
Synthesis in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by restricted and repetitive behaviors or interests, emotional difficulties, and challenges with social communication. Technological tools are crucial for individuals on the autism spectrum as they offer predictable environments free of social demands. Mobile smartphones are particularly suitable for individuals on the autism spectrum due to their attractive screens, visually stimulating displays, high portability, engaging music and game functions, and ease of use. This study investigated the current market situation for game-based mobile applications designed to teach socio-emotional skills to individuals on the autism spectrum. This study focused on identifying game-based mobile applications available on Android and iOS platforms, evaluating the extracted serious games using a serious games assessment tool, and assessing the apps with the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). We also provided suggestions for future designs. 10 applications were identified on the Android and iOS. At first glance, it seems there are several game-based applications for teaching socio-emotional skills to individuals on the autism spectrum, but most of them contain advice and textual information and lack the main aspects of serious games. On average, the design of the selected applications based on the use of serious game design principles can be classified as good. Additionally, more than half of the apps (70%) received an acceptable MARS score. The findings reveal that few apps meet the predetermined criteria for quality, content, or performance, indicating a need for future designs to adhere to these principles.
Indexed as
Identifiers
39921775What OpenQuestion holds
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.