Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41398967›Full record

ReviewChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2025

Efficacy of gamified digital health interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Yuxin Liu, Chi Ma, Mengmeng Zhang, Xinyi Ma, Tingxuan Liu, Feiyong Jia, Lin Du

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

7 authors.

Yuxin LiuDepartment of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-1579-9734
Chi MaDepartment of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.
Mengmeng ZhangDepartment of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.
Xinyi MaDepartment of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.
Tingxuan LiuDepartment of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.
Feiyong JiaDepartment of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.
Lin DuDepartment of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children and Adolescents Mental Development Clinic, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China. du_lin@jlu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9754-0366

Funding

Science and Technology Development Program Project of Jilin Province 20240404019ZP
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAutism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition with a rising prevalence and limited effective pharmacological treatments. As non-pharmacological interventions gain traction, gamified digital health interventions have emerged as a promising alternative due to their accessibility and scalability. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of gamified digital health interventions in improving key functional domains in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

methodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, a systematic search was conducted in six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Scopus) and reference lists of relevant articles up to November 2024. A total of 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comprising 1,050 participants met the inclusion criteria. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were pooled using a random-effects model, and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore the effects of different types of interventions.

resultsMeta-analysis revealed significant improvements in emotional skills (SMD = 0.56), social skills (SMD = 0.45), executive functions (SMD = - 0.43), and motor skills (SMD = 1.53). Subgroup analyses indicated that sensor-based games demonstrated superior efficacy. However, no significant effect was observed in reducing behavioral problems (SMD = - 0.14).

conclusionsGamified digital health interventions show promise in enhancing emotional, social, executive, and motor skills in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Future research should focus on optimizing intervention strategies, refining behavioral outcome measures, and conducting high-quality longitudinal studies to evaluate long-term effectiveness.

Indexed as

Autism spectrum disorderChildren and adolescentsGamified digital health interventionsMeta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID41398967
PMCPMC12781649

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.