Effect of a social script iPad application for children with autism going to imaging
Abstract
This randomized controlled trial feasibility study tested the effectiveness of an iPad® application (app) social script intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) going to imaging and their parent (n=32 parent/child dyads). Parents of the children exposed to the app (n=16) had lower state anxiety compared to the parents whose children were not exposed to the app (n=16) (effect size 0.33). Children exposed to the app had fewer externalized challenging behaviors than the control group (effect size 0.56). The results demonstrate feasibility and efficacy of the intervention. Further study of the iPad app is warranted.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Johnson et al. found that children with autism spectrum disorder who used a social script iPad app before a neuroimaging procedure (n = 16) exhibited less externalizing challenging behaviour during the procedure and parents showed lower levels of anxiety compared to the control group.
“Johnson et al. found that children with ASD who used a social script iPad app before a neuroimaging procedure (n = 16) exhibited less externalizing CB during the procedure and parents showed lower levels of anxiety compared to the control group (53).”
Cites
(1970) · Cited by 24,983 · see citing works
Cohen, J. (1992) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155 · Cited by 8,771 · see citing works
Determination and Quantification Of Content Validity
LYNN, M. R. (1986) · Nursing Research · doi:10.1097/00006199-198611000-00017 · Cited by 6,775 · see citing works
Stress and emotion: a new synthesis
(1999) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.37-1229 · Cited by 3,655 · see citing works
Simonoff, E., Pickles, A., Charman, T., Chandler, S., Loucas, T., & Baird, G. (2008) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e318179964f · Cited by 3,399 · see citing works
Manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory (form Y) : "self-evaluation questionnaire"
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., & Lushene, R. E. (1970) · Consulting Psychologists Press eBooks · Cited by 2,352 · see citing works
Lam, K. S. L., & Aman, M. G. (2007) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0213-z · Cited by 793 · see citing works
Kagohara, D. M., van der Meer, L. A. J., Ramdoss, S. T., O’Reilly, M. F., Lancioni, G. E., Davis, T. N., Rispoli, M. J., Lang, R. B., Marschik, P. B., Sutherland, D., et al. (2012) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.07.027 · Cited by 585 · see citing works
High Rates of Psychiatric Co-Morbidity in PDD-NOS
de Bruin, E. I., Ferdinand, R. F., Meester, S., de Nijs, P. F. A., & Verheij, F. (2006) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0215-x · Cited by 509 · see citing works
Distraction Techniques for Children Undergoing Procedures: A Critical Review of Pediatric Research
Koller, D., & Goldman, R. D. (2011) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2011.08.001 · Cited by 476 · see citing works
Living in a World of Our Own: The Experience of Parents Who Have a Child With Autism
Woodgate, R. L., Ateah, C. A., & Secco, L. M. (2008) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732308320112 · Cited by 451 · see citing works
Gurney, J. G., McPheeters, M. L., & Davis, M. M. (2006) · Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/archpedi.160.8.825 · Cited by 411 · see citing works
Operational Failures and Interruptions in Hospital Nursing
Tucker, A. L., & Spear, S. J. (2006) · Health Services Research · doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00502.x · Cited by 382 · see citing works
Health Care Utilization and Expenditures for Children with Autism: Data from U.S. National Samples
Liptak, G. S., Stuart, T., & Auinger, P. (2006) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0119-9 · Cited by 291 · see citing works
A Comparison of Communication Using the Apple iPad and a Picture-based System
Flores, M. M., Musgrove, K. R., Renner, S., Hinton, V. M., Strozier, S. D., Franklin, S., & Hill, D. A. (2012) · Augmentative and Alternative Communication · doi:10.3109/07434618.2011.644579 · Cited by 280 · see citing works
Social Story™ Interventions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis
Kokina, A. A., & Kern, L. (2010) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-009-0931-0 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
Pediatric Anxiety: Child Life Intervention in Day Surgery
Brewer, S. L., Gleditsch, S. L., Syblik, D., Tietjens, M. E., & Vacik, H. W. (2006) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2005.06.004 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Increased risk of injury in children with developmental disabilities
Lee, L.-C., Harrington, R. A., Chang, J. J., & Connors, S. L. (2007) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2007.05.002 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Gray, C. A. (2000) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Najarian, B., Roger, D., & Venables, P. H. (1989) · PsycTESTS Dataset · doi:10.1037/t07748-000 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Guarded Alliance: Health Care Relationships in Chronic Illness
Thorne, S. E., & Robinson, C. A. (1989) · Journal of Nursing Scholarship · doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.1989.tb00122.x · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Further Refinement of the Family Management Style Framework
Knafl, K. A., & Deatrick, J. A. (2003) · Journal of Family Nursing · doi:10.1177/1074840703255435 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Autism Spectrum Disorders and Health Care Expenditures
Peacock, G., Amendah, D. D., Ouyang, L., & Grosse, S. D. (2011) · Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics · doi:10.1097/dbp.0b013e31823969de · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Widen, S. C., & Russell, J. A. (2009) · British Journal of Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1348/026151009x457550d · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Use of an iPad Play Story to Increase Play Dialogue of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Murdock, L. C., Ganz, J. B., & Crittendon, J. (2013) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1770-6 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Knafl, K. A., Deatrick, J. A., Knafl, G. J., Gallo, A. M., Grey, M. J., & Dixon, J. K. (2013) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2013.03.006 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Family management style: concept analysis and development.
Knafl, K. A., & Deatrick, J. A. (1990) · PubMed · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Davis, T. E., Moree, B. N., Dempsey, T., Reuther, E. T., Fodstad, J. C., Hess, J. A., Jenkins, W. S., & Matson, J. L. (2010) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2010.04.015 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations
Myles, B. S., Trautman, M. L., Schelvan, R. L., & Winner, M. G. (2004) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Health Care Utilization: The Effect of Extending Insurance to Adults on Medicaid or Uninsured
Hahn, B. A. (1994) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/00005650-199403000-00004 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
(2013) · PubMed · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Needs of Hospitalized Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Kopecky, K. E., Broder‐Fingert, S., Iannuzzi, D. A., & Connors, S. L. (2013) · Clinical Pediatrics · doi:10.1177/0009922813485974 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Injury Treatment among Children with Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder
McDermott, S. W., Zhou, L., & Mann, J. R. (2007) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-007-0426-9 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Coping Processes as Revealed in the Stories of Mothers of Children With Autism
Marshall, V., & Long, B. C. (2009) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732309348367 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
iPad-presented social stories for young children with autism
Vandermeer, J. M., Beamish, W., Milford, T., & Lang, W. T. (2013) · Developmental Neurorehabilitation · doi:10.3109/17518423.2013.809811 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
The Health Care Experiences of the Preschool Child With Autism
Bultas, M. W. (2012) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2011.05.005 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Evaluation of a coping kit for children with challenging behaviors in a pediatric hospital.
Drake, J., Johnson, N. L., Stonek, A. V., Martinez, D. M., & Massey, M. (2012) · PubMed · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Self-citationJohnson, N. L., Bekhet, A. K., Robinson, K. M., & Rodriguez, D. M. (2013) · Journal of Pediatric Health Care · doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2013.10.001 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Self-citationEver Vigilant: Maternal Support of Participation in Daily Life for Boys with Autism
Larson, E. A. (2010) · Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics · doi:10.3109/01942630903297227 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Ingen, D. J. V., Moore, L. L., Zaja, R. H., & Rojahn, J. (2009) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2009.08.004 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Use of Social Stories to Improve Self-Regulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Thompson, R. M., & Johnston, S. S. (2013) · Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics · doi:10.3109/01942638.2013.768322 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
TOBY play-pad application to teach children with ASD – A pilot trial
Moore, D. W., Venkatesh, S., Anderson, A., Greenhill, S., Phung, D., Duong, T. V., Cairns, D., Marshall, W., & Whitehouse, A. (2013) · Developmental Neurorehabilitation · doi:10.3109/17518423.2013.784817 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Evidence-Based Training for Enhancing Psychiatric Nurses' Child Behavior Management Skills
Tucker, S., Derscheid, D. J., Odegarden, S. M., & Olson, M. E. (2008) · Journal for Nurses in Staff Development · doi:10.1097/01.nnd.0000300864.59997.27 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Guinchat, V., Cravero, C., Diaz, L., Périsse, D., Xavier, J., Amiet, C., Gourfinkel-An, I., Bodeau, N., Wachtel, L., Cohen, D., et al. (2015) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.12.020 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Bonis, S. A., & Sawin, K. J. (2016) · Journal of Pediatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2016.08.006 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Reducing Barriers to Care in the Office-Based Health Care Setting for Children With Autism
Bultas, M. W., McMillin, S. E., & Zand, D. H. (2015) · Journal of Pediatric Health Care · doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2015.08.007 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Conley, C. S., Raposa, E. B., Bartolotta, K., Broner, S. E., Hareli, M., Forbes, N., Christensen, K. M., & Assink, M. (2022) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/34254 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Tracing the Use of the Family Management Framework and Measure: A Scoping Review
Knafl, K. A., Deatrick, J. A., Gallo, A. M., & Cosgrove, B. (2021) · Journal of Family Nursing · doi:10.1177/1074840721994331 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Stogiannos, N., Carlier, S., Harvey-Lloyd, J. M., Brammer, A., Nugent, B., Cleaver, K., McNulty, J. P., dos Reis, C. S., & Malamateniou, C. (2021) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613211065542 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Moon, S. J., Hwang, J., Hill, H. S., Kervin, R., Birtwell, K. B., Torous, J., McDougle, C. J., & Kim, J. W. (2020) · Archives of Disease in Childhood · doi:10.1136/archdischild-2019-318258 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Autism-Friendly Healthcare: A Narrative Review of the Literature
Hamdan, S. Z., & Bennett, A. (2024) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.64108 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Agarwal, R., Wuyke, G. M., Sharma, U., Burke, S. L., Howard, M. M., Li, T., Sánchez, M., & Bastida, E. (2022) · Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s40489-022-00340-8 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Kouo, J., & Kouo, T. S. (2020) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04716-9 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Optimizing Care for Autistic Patients in Health Care Settings: A Scoping Review and Call to Action
Harris, H. K., Weissman, L., Friedlaender, E. Y., Neumeyer, A. M., Friedman, A., Spence, S. J., Rotman, C., Krauss, S., Broder‐Fingert, S., & Weitzman, C. C. (2023) · Academic Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.acap.2023.11.006 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Bray, L., Booth, L., Gray, V., Maden, M., Thompson, J., & Saron, H. (2022) · Insights into Imaging · doi:10.1186/s13244-022-01278-5 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Hillman, K., Dix, K., Ahmed, K., Lietz, P. N., Trevitt, J., O’Grady, E. A., Uljarević, M., Vivanti, G., & Hedley, D. (2020) · Campbell Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/cl2.1086 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Walsh, C., Lydon, S., Hehir, A., & O'Connor, P. E. (2020) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101680 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Involving autism stakeholders in identifying priorities for interventions based on augmented reality
Pino, M. C., Vagnetti, R., Tiberti, S., Valenti, M., & Mazza, M. (2022) · Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Technology · doi:10.1080/17483107.2022.2120103 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Amélioration de la santé orale des enfants avec autisme : les outils à notre disposition
Rouches, A., Sauvage, G. L., Dajean‐Trutaud, S., & Cazaux, S. L. (2017) · Archives de Pédiatrie · doi:10.1016/j.arcped.2017.11.013 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Matheson, B. E., Colborn, D., & Bohon, C. (2019) · Obesity Surgery · doi:10.1007/s11695-019-04219-2 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Carlier, S., Vorlet, P., dos Reis, C. S., & Malamateniou, C. (2022) · Journal of medical imaging and radiation sciences · doi:10.1016/j.jmir.2022.11.002 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Pang, F., & Datu, J. A. D. (2025) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2025.100729 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Adams, L., Valmaggia, L., & Simonoff, E. A. (2021) · Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s40489-021-00275-6 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Johnson, N. L., & Bree, O. A. (2014) · Journal of Radiology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.jradnu.2014.04.001 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationA Practical Guide for Improving Orthopaedic Care in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Maloy, G. C., Kaszuba, S. V., Stoeckel, M., Mariotti, E. C., & Frumberg, D. B. (2023) · Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America · doi:10.55275/jposna-2023-640 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Meerson, R., Buchholz, H., Kammerer, K., Göster, M., Schobel, J., Ratz, C., Pryss, R., Taurines, R., Romanos, M., Gamer, M., et al. (2024) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2024.1462682 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Applications numériques pour l’autonomie des personnes avec trouble du spectre de l’autisme
Renaud, J., & Cherruault-Anouge, S. (2018) · Enfance · doi:10.3917/enf2.181.0131 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Autism and Research Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Johnson, N. L., Salowitz, N. M. G., Abel, M. V., Dolan, B. K., Hecke, A. V. V., & Ahamed, S. I. (2017) · Journal of Radiology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.jradnu.2017.08.005 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citationJi, B., Batubara, I. M. S., Batten, J., Peng, X., Chen, S., & Ni, Z. (2025) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-025-03219-5 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Toledano-González, A., Plaza-Romero, R., Schez-Sobrino, S., Monekosso, D., & Vallejo, D. (2026) · Computers & Graphics · doi:10.1016/j.cag.2026.104592 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Park, I., Lee, K., & Lee, S. (2025) · Journal of Digital Contents Society · doi:10.9728/dcs.2025.26.6.1675 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Wickramasinghe, R., & McLean, G. (2025) · Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences · doi:10.1002/jmrs.70023 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Eaton, J., Simcock, I. C., Anderson, A. M., Arthurs, O. J., & Simpson, A. (2025) · Radiography · doi:10.1016/j.radi.2025.103013 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Ukaji, N. F., Malamateniou, C., Potts, B., Meertens, R. M., & Skelton, E. (2026) · Radiography · doi:10.1016/j.radi.2026.103574 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Althuizius, M., Sauvage, G. L., Bourdon, P., & Cazaux, S. L. (2018) · Revue d Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique · doi:10.1016/j.respe.2017.11.008 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
One Size Does Not Fit All: Discharge Teaching and Child Challenging Behaviors
Johnson, N. L., Lerret, S. M., Polfuss, M. L., Gralton, K. S., Gibson, C., Ahamed, S. I., Adib, R., White‐Traut, R. C., Brown, R., & Sawin, K. J. (2021) · Western Journal of Nursing Research · doi:10.1177/01939459211018829
Self-citationBoukhris, H., Khalifa, A. B. H., Ayari, G., Ksiksi, Y., & Baccouche, C. (2025) · The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice · doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10024-3891
- Authors
- Johnson, N., Bree, O., Lalley, E. E., Rettler, K., Grande, P., Gani, M. O., & Ahamed, S. I.
- Affiliations
- Marquette University (US)
- Park Nicollet Health Services (US)
- Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (US)
- Corresponding author
- Johnson, Norah
- Venue
- Journal of Pediatric Nursing
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-11
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 651-659
- ISSN
- 0882-5963 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2026340814
- Cited by
- 37
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 1.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Pediatric Nursing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- e-Publications@Marquette (Marquette University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, iPad apps, parent-mediated intervention, diagnostic imaging, parental anxiety, behavioral problems, children with autism, feasibility
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety, Child, Diagnostic Imaging, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Computers, Handheld
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
