Journal article
A single-blind active-control randomized controlled trial of group-based social competence intervention
Scientific reports, v 15(1), 28872
07 Aug 2025
PMID: 40774996
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
This study evaluated specific effects of a blinded randomized controlled trial of a group-based social skills intervention, Socio-Dramatic Affective-Relational Intervention (SDARI), against an active attention control (AC) intervention. Fifty-five autistic youth (M
=12.40; SD
=2.92; 73% boys) were randomly allocated to either the SDARI or the AC condition. Both interventions comprised 10 weekly sessions and were tightly matched for structure, participant age, IQ, and gender, such that the specific activities of SDARI were directly examined. Multimethod assessments at pre-, post-treatment, and 10-week follow-up included informant-reported social skills and autism-related behaviors, observer-rated spontaneous peer interaction, peer-rated friendships, and a metric of social information processing (the N170 event-related potential). Parent expectancy effect was also explored by examining perceived conditions by parents/caregivers, who were blinded to the condition assignment. Compared to the AC condition, the SDARI group evinced improvements in the N170 latency, rapid peer-liking, and reciprocal friendships at endpoint and follow-up. While the conditions did not differ on parent-reported social skills or autism-related behaviors, a parental expectancy effect was found where parent-rated social skills improvements were related to parents' perceived conditions. These results provide support for the efficacy of the specific SDARI activities on several objective, reliable outcomes of social functioning in autistic youth.
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Details
- Title
- A single-blind active-control randomized controlled trial of group-based social competence intervention
- Creators
- Erin Kang - Montclair State UniversityTamara E Rosen - Drexel UniversityCara M Keifer - Yale UniversityAlan H Gerber - Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C, USAMatthew D Lerner - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Scientific reports, v 15(1), 28872
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- Stony Brook Department of Psychiatry Pilot Grants Program
This study was supported by the Stony Brook Department of Psychiatry Pilot Grants Program. The funder had no role in study design; the data collection, analysis, and interpretation; manuscript writing; and the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors wish to thank Rebecca J. Weber for coordinating recruitment and data collection. Authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; A.J. Drexel Autism Institute
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001546846700028
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105012862192
- Other Identifier
- 991022073839804721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Developmental