Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40153036›Full record

SynthesisEuropean child & adolescent psychiatry2025

Effects of social skills training on social responsiveness of people with Autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Marcos Vinicio Anchieta, Nelson Torro-Alves, Égina Karoline Gonçalves da Fonsêca, Flávia de Lima Osório

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European child & adolescent psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Novel therapeutics in autism spectrum disorder.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026
    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

4 authors.

Marcos Vinicio AnchietaUniversity of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5259-7759
Nelson Torro-AlvesUniversity of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil. nelsontorro@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3678-5762
Égina Karoline Gonçalves da FonsêcaUniversity of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2402-0079
Flávia de Lima OsórioUniversity of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1396-555X

Funding

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 313414/2021-1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Social skills training (SST) is a widely proposed intervention to address social impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). SST employs a series of activities aiming to enhance pro-social behaviors. A promising approach to evaluate SST's effects lays on social responsiveness (SR) indicators, which are related to the capacity to respond appropriately to social stimuli. Despite the widespread use of SST, there are no integrative studies evaluating its effects on the SR of ASD people. We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis investigating the effects of SSTs in SR indicators of individuals with ASD. PRISMA guidelines were considered to search through EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus without timeframes or language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included only. Jamovi (version 1.6) was used to perform the meta-analysis with the standardized mean difference (SMD) between pre and post-intervention scores (∆) as the outcome measure. Twenty-seven papers composed the review and 25 the meta-analysis. The population was predominantly male (80%), with a mean age of 13.03 years. Interventions were mostly conducted in group settings. Meta-analysis indicated the set of interventions as capable of improving SR indicators of ASD people (SMD = 0.57 (CI 95% 0.46-0.67; p < 0.0001). Although our findings cannot support PEERS program as quantitatively superior to other programs, its methodological consistency, treatment adherence and involvement of parents are noteworthy. SST appears to be a viable, versatile, and easily implementable intervention to improve SR of individuals with ASD.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderSocial BehaviorSocial SkillsHumansAutism spectrum disorderPEERS programSocial responsivenessSocial skills training

Identifiers

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.