Cognitive-behavioural group therapy for youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders demonstrates modest effects on social responsiveness

ABSTRACT FROM: Freitag CM, Jensen K, Elsuni L, et al.. Group-based cognitive–behavioural psychotherapy for children and adolescents with ASD: the randomised, multicentre, controlled SOSTA—net trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2016;57:596–605. What is already known about this topic? Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) occur in ~1 in 63 children/adolescents1 and are characterised by impairments in cognition, communication and/or social responsiveness and interaction. A number of interventions have been developed and studied to target the social skills of children and adolescents with ASD.2 One particularly promising group intervention, namely the Social Skills Training Autism—Frankfurt (SOSTA-FRA),3 targets social motivation, social cognition, self-regulation and peer interaction using cognitive-behavioural treatment techniques provided using multiple methods (ie, social learning, computer-based, behavioural, cognitive methods) within a structured framework. Preliminary data have shown promising treatment effects and acceptability; further study in a controlled setting is necessary. Methods of...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Psychological interventions Source Type: research