A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Social Skills Training for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to evaluate the effects of group-based social skills training (SST) on parent-report social responsiveness in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A total of 18 studies were included in the narrative review and among them five randomized-controlled trials (n = 145) were included in the meta-analysis. SST had large positive effects on social responsiveness. The narrative review identified that SST could improve patient's outcomes in adults with ASD. These results should be interpreted with caution due to the moderate quality of the existing evidence, which could have inflated effect sizes. The absence of active comparator control groups makes unclear whether improvements at post-treatment are treatment-specific or are attributable to common factors to all psychotherapies.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Cites
PRISMA-P Group, Moher, D., Shamseer, L., Clarke, M., Ghersi, D., Liberati, A., Petticrew, M., Shekelle, P., & Stewart, L. A. (2015) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/2046-4053-4-1 · Cited by 26,223 · see citing works
Power failure: why small sample size undermines the reliability of neuroscience
Button, K. S., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Mokrysz, C., Nosek, B. A., Flint, J., Robinson, E. S. J., & Munafò, M. R. (2013) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3475 · Cited by 7,641 · see citing works
What Is the Male-to-Female Ratio in Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Loomes, R., Hull, L., & Mandy, W. P. L. (2017) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2017.03.013 · Cited by 2,804 · see citing works
Wykes, T., Steel, C., Everitt, B., & Tarrier, N. (2007) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbm114 · Cited by 1,029 · see citing works
Nonsocial and social cognition in schizophrenia: current evidence and future directions
Green, M. F., Horan, W. P., & Lee, J. (2019) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20624 · Cited by 612 · see citing works
Cassidy, S., Bradley, P., Robinson, J., Allison, C., McHugh, M., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2014) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(14)70248-2 · Cited by 432 · see citing works
Hillier, A. J., Fish, T., Siegel, J. H., & Beversdorf, D. Q. (2011) · Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities · doi:10.1007/s10882-011-9226-4 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Curnow, E., Rutherford, M., Maciver, D., Johnston, L., Prior, S., Boilson, M., Shah, P., Jenkins, N., & Meff, T. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0288275 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Hajri, M., Abbes, Z., Yahia, H. B., Jelili, S., Halayem, S., Mrabet, A., & Bouden, A. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.917121 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“Better improvement in social responsiveness was shown in participants included in the treatment than those in control groups (43).”
BackgroundRethinking psychological interventions in autism: Toward a neurodiversity‐affirming approach.
Graf‐Kurtulus, S., & Gelo, O. C. G. (2025) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12874 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
RETRACTED: A deep learning-based ensemble for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis using facial images
Farhat, T., Akram, S., Rashid, M., Jaffar, A., Bhatti, S. M., & Iqbal, M. A. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0321697 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
RetractedPsychosis superspectrum II: neurobiology, treatment, and implications
Kotov, R., Carpenter, W. T., Cicero, D. C., Correll, C. U., Martin, E. A., Young, J. W., Zald, D. H., & Jonas, K. G. (2024) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-024-02410-1 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Like-wise, social skills training has not been suf fi ciently studied outside the psychosis superspectrum for clear inference about its relative ef fi cacy [163, 164].”
Takata, K., Yoshikawa, Y., Muramatsu, T., Matsumoto, Y., Ishiguro, H., Mimura, M., & Kumazaki, H. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1168837 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“(6) When listening to others, consider what they want to say.”
BackgroundMethodThe differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults
Carroll, H. M., Thom, R. P., & McDougle, C. J. (2025) · Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics · doi:10.1080/14737175.2025.2490533 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Płatos, M., Wojaczek, K., & Laugeson, E. A. (2023) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-023-05921-y · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“A recent literature review revealed 18 group-based stud - ies examining the efficacy of SST programs for adults on the autism spectrum, including eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs; Dubreucq, Haesebaert, Plasse, Dubreucq, & Franck, 2021 ).”
BackgroundMethod“Just Ask What Support We Need”: Autistic Adults' Feedback on Social Skills Training
Hull, L., Rane, S., Lee, S. H.-L., & Sedgewick, F. (2024) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2023.0136 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“20 This reflects observations from participants that they particularly enjoyed the opportunity to connect and communicate with other autistic people and emphasizes the need for social opportunities for autistic people across the life span.”
Dubreucq, M., & Dubreucq, J. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.630029 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Self-citationPellicano, E., & Heyworth, M. (2025) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-025-00208-7 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Anchieta, M. V., Torro-Alves, N., da Fonsêca, É. K. G., & Osório, F. D. L. (2025) · European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-025-02697-7 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Downs, J. L., & Kelly, C. A. (2025) · Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1186/s40337-025-01250-w · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Watanabe, T., Nishida, K., & Kumazaki, H. (2025) · Asian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2025.104423 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Bemmouna, D., Weibel, S., Kosel, M., Hasler, R., Weiner, L., & Perroud, N. A. (2022) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114580 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Novel therapeutics in autism spectrum disorder
Kevelson, S. D., Elmaghraby, R., Patel, F., Brown, H. R., Gorenstein, M., Bain, J., Grinspan, Z. M., Pedapati, E. V., Veenstra-VanderWeele, J. M., & Vandana, P. (2026) · Neurotherapeutics · doi:10.1016/j.neurot.2026.e00857 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Research has shown that groups focused on specific skill sets in autistic adults, such as dating [56,57] or employment [58,59] can improve treatment outcomes and motivation [60].”
Autism in romantic relationships: A content analysis of challenges and strengths (2013–2024)
Neu, C., & Bradford, A. B. (2025) · Journal of Family Theory & Review · doi:10.1111/jftr.70001 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Edwards, L., Firpo-Triplett, R., Kuhn, T., Firpo, R., & Holmes, L. G. (2025) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2023.0196 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“30 To address this critical need, dfusion, Inc., a company dedicated to advancing health and well-being with innovative strategies, developed and pilot-tested a relationship skill-building video library, SkillFlix for Autistic Young Adults.”
Pyszkowska, A., Nowacki, A., & Stefanek, F. (2025) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.reia.2025.202781 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Field survey of support groups for people with neurodevelopmental disorders in Japan
Hamatani, S., & Mizuno, Y. (2024) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1002/pcn5.70028 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Bonagamba-Bortolucci, J. T., & Osório, F. L. (2024) · Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s40489-024-00481-y · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Ferreira, J. M., & Muniz, L. (2024) · Europe's Journal of Psychology · doi:10.5964/ejop.13307 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Muris, P., Deckers, A., Donkers, F. C. L., Ollendick, T. H., & Begeer, S. (2026) · Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10567-026-00576-4
“There is abundant evidence that structured social skills trainings are effective in supporting children, adolescents, and adults with autism (Babb et al., 2020 ; Dubreucq et al., 2022; Gates et al., 2017 ).”
Castaldo, R., Capiotto, F., Bari, S., & Keller, R. (2027) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.reia.2026.203026
Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Question Asking in Autistic Adolescents and Adults.
Koegel, L., Ponder, E., Bruzzese, T., & Lam, M. S. (2026) · Behavior Modification · doi:10.1177/01454455261477050
Shoji, S., Iitsuka, A., Fana, M., Kumagai, K., & Yaeda, J. (2026) · Advances in Autism · doi:10.1108/aia-11-2025-0119
Guajardo-Sáez, C., & Acuña, E. F. A. (2026) · Revista de Investigación en Logopedia · doi:10.5209/rlog.106200
“…2009) aunque con mayor aplicación en niños, niñas y adolescentes (Steinbrenner et al., 2020) por lo que la evidencia del entrenamiento de habilidades sociales es escasa, ya que se ha estudiado en menor medida en adultos con TEA (Dubreucq et al., 2021; Ninci et al., 2015; Steinbrenner et al., 2020).”
Smith, S., Mohammad, H., Lee, L.-H. N., Dennett, L., Smith, S., Burback, L., Winkler, O., Greenshaw, A., Jetly, R., Kennedy, S., et al. (2026) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-026-07110-y
Aziz, Z., & Candidate, M. D. (2026) · Medical Hypotheses · doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2026.112046
Shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry
Harrison, P., Cowen, P., Fazel, M., & Bhui, K. (2026) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med/9780192871053.001.0001
Motamed, M., Jamaloo, S., Amin, R., Khosrovanmehr, N., Tavakolian, N., Shirafkan, S., Dehkordi, R., Shirazi, E., Mortazavi, S. S., & Alaghband-rad, J. (2026) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-026-07231-5
Silver, K., & Parsons, S. (2025) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09638288.2025.2527940
“However, the reported impact of such training may be mixed [50] and there can be a difference between knowledge and performance [51].”
Teruya, M., Kurihara, K., Ishibashi, T., Ota, K., Shinzato, H., Takaesu, Y., & Kondo, T. (2025) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1002/pcn5.70084
Zoccante, L., Sabaini, S., Rigotti, E., Bonatti, S. M., Lintas, C., & Zaffanello, M. (2025) · Pediatric Reports · doi:10.3390/pediatric17010006
“However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the moderate quality of existing evidence, which may have exaggerated the observed effects [35].”
Developing social skills and social competence in adults with autism
Telzhan, V. (2024) · InterConf · doi:10.51582/interconf.19-20.04.2024.018
“…underscores the importance of group programs for teaching social skills to adults with autism, while also indicating the need for further research to optimize the effectiveness of such programs and ensure their sustainability and generalization into everyday life (Howlin, 1999; Dubreucq, 2022).”
BackgroundSon, C., Yoo, H., Kim, J.-H., & Oh, M. (2023) · Soa--ch'ongsonyon chongsin uihak = Journal of child & adolescent psychiatry · doi:10.5765/jkacap.220023
- Authors
- Dubreucq, J., Haesebaert, F., Plasse, J., Dubreucq, M., & Franck, N.
- Affiliations
- Lyon 1 Université (FR)
- Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier (FR)
- Fondation FondaMental (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Dubreucq, J
- Venue
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Published
- 2021-05-08
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1598-1609
- ISSN
- 0162-3257 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3432
- OpenAlex
- W3157413539
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 0.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Keywords
- social skills training, autism spectrum disorder, autistic adults, social responsiveness, group intervention, psychotherapy effectiveness, common factors in psychotherapy
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adult, Humans, Parents, Social Perception, Social Skills
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
