Cognitive enhancement therapy for adults with autism spectrum disorder: results of an 18-month feasibility study.

Capio et al. (2013) ran an 18-month program called Cognitive Enhancement Therapy for verbal adults with autism. They tested each person before and after. No control group was used.

The team wanted to see if CET could lift both thinking skills and social skills in autistic adults.

All 14 adults made very large gains on both cognitive and social tests. The changes were big enough to be statistically significant.

The study calls the results strongly positive after the full 18 months.

Whaling et al. (2025) pooled later computer-based emotion-recognition trials. They found quick but short-lived gains that did not spread to wider social skills. CET’s 2013 gains look larger and broader, likely because CET mixes computer drills with real-life social coaching.

Rutherford et al. (2007) showed that supported employment can boost executive functions in autistic adults. CET extends that line by targeting social cognition directly, not just job-related thinking.

Spaniol et al. (2021) used computer attention training with autistic children and saw medium academic gains. CET uses a similar drill style but with adults and achieves very large social gains, showing the approach can scale up if paired with social modules.

If you serve verbal autistic adults who still struggle with social nuance, CET offers a ready-made 18-month curriculum. You can borrow its two-part format: computer exercises to sharpen attention and memory, plus small-group sessions to practice reading faces and taking others’ perspectives. Start by adding one 30-minute computer drill before your current social skills group and track changes with a simple pre-post social checklist. The 2013 data say the payoff can be dramatic.