Social skills group training in adolescents with disabilities: A systematic review.
Group social skills classes give teens with autism a solid bump in knowledge and scripted behaviors, yet after-school social participation remains hard to move.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Rose and colleagues looked at 16 randomized trials of group social skills classes for teens with autism. All studies used a manual-based program delivered to small groups of adolescents.
The team pooled scores on social knowledge, social responsiveness, and real-life participation. They ran a meta-analysis to see how big the gains were and how sure we can be.
What they found
Group classes gave a medium boost to social knowledge and social responsiveness. The certainty of evidence was moderate for these skills.
When parents rated weekend hang-outs or after-school clubs, the gains were small and the certainty was low. We still do not know if classroom lessons turn into more real friendships.
How this fits with other research
Menezes et al. (2021) and Dudley et al. (2019) show the same pattern in younger kids. School-based groups lift targeted social behaviors, but only when peers join the lesson.
Lopata et al. (2025) followed kids for up to four years and found the gains stuck. Gilmore et al. (2022) cannot tell us if teen gains last, because most trials stopped measuring after a few months.
Wang et al. (2023) looks like a contradiction at first. Their meta found physical-activity groups, not social-skills groups, improved social symptoms. The difference is age and dose: they studied preschoolers running 90-minute sessions three times a week, while Rose focused on talk-and-role-play classes for teens.
Why it matters
You can feel confident signing teens up for manual-based social skills groups. Expect clear gains in what they know and how they act during the session. Do not assume these gains automatically mean more lunch-table chats or weekend texts. Add peer partners and plan booster meetings if you want real-life carry-over.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Group social skills interventions (GSSIs) are offered to youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to improve social functioning. This systematic review focused on the adolescent population, including a wider range of disabilities. AIMS: To evaluate effectiveness of GSSIs at improving social functioning in adolescents with congenital, acquired or developmental disabilities. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Databases, trial registries and dissertations were systematically searched and a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials conducted. Study screening, risk-of-bias assessment and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation were completed. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Sixteen studies (n = 1119), 15 with adolescents with ASD and one with brain tumor survivors, revealed GSSIs reduced social impairment on the Social Responsiveness Scale (mean difference (MD) 9.68, 95% CI 5.63-13.73; P < 0.001), increased social skills on the Social Skill Improvement System Rating Scales (SMD 0.38, 95% CI 0.10-0.65; P = 0.007), and improved adolescent social knowledge on the Test of Adolescent Social Skills (MD 7.43 points, 95% CI 5.36-9.50; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: There is moderate certainty evidence that GSSIs improve social responsiveness, social skills and knowledge, and low certainty of evidence to improve social participation for adolescents with ASD. High quality randomized studies are required to inform clinical practice with adolescents with other disabilities. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Current evidence for group social skills interventions (GSSIs) is for adolescents with autism (ASD). GSSIs likely improve social knowledge and reduce impairments in adolescents with ASD, however the effect of GSSIs on social participation is not well understood. Only one randomized trial investigated GSSIs in another population of adolescents, highlighting the need for more high-quality studies including adolescents with other disabilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104218