The Use of Digital Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder—A Meta-Analysis.
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| Title: | The Use of Digital Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder—A Meta-Analysis. |
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| Authors: | Xu, Fang (AUTHOR), Gage, Nicholas (AUTHOR), Zeng, Songtian (AUTHOR), Zhang, Madian (AUTHOR), Iun, Anastasiia (AUTHOR), O'Riordan, Margaret (AUTHOR), Kim, Eunsuk (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders. Feb2026, Vol. 56 Issue 2, p499-515. 17p. |
| Subjects: | Treatment of autism, Digital technology, Adolescent development, Communicative competence, Effect sizes (Statistics), Therapeutics, Children with disabilities, Smartphones, Portable computers, Treatment effectiveness, Meta-analysis, Descriptive statistics, Systematic reviews, MEDLINE, Computers in medicine, Child development, Social skills, Ability, Asperger's syndrome, Confidence intervals, Data analysis software, Online information services, Cognition, Training, Activities of daily living, ERIC (Information retrieval system), Psychology information storage & retrieval systems, Children |
| Abstract: | This comprehensive meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of digital interventions in improving developmental skills for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We conducted a systematic literature search based on three databases. A pre-test adjusted between-group standardized effect size was computed for effect size synthesis. We utilized a robust variance estimation model to analyze overall treatment effect. Moderator analyses and publication bias were also addressed. Twenty-eight studies (150 effect sizes) using randomized control trials (RCT; n = 22) or quasi-experimental designs (QED; n = 6) were included. Most studies (n = 22) included social-emotional skills as primary outcomes. The meta-analysis revealed a medium to large overall effect size, with Hedges' g = 0.62, 95% CI [0.36, 0.88], p < 0.001. We found that digital interventions have a statistically significantly large effect on enhancing social-emotional skills compared with language and communication skills, cognitive skills, daily living skills, and physical skills. The results of moderator analyses indicated that computer-based interventions have larger effect sizes in comparison to tablet/smartphone-based interventions. No statistically significant differences were observed between studies utilizing RCT and those using QED. We recommended the integration of digital interventions as supplemental resources in behavioral and educational interventions. Further research needs to focus on more females, young children, and adolescents with ASD in digital intervention research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | This comprehensive meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of digital interventions in improving developmental skills for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We conducted a systematic literature search based on three databases. A pre-test adjusted between-group standardized effect size was computed for effect size synthesis. We utilized a robust variance estimation model to analyze overall treatment effect. Moderator analyses and publication bias were also addressed. Twenty-eight studies (150 effect sizes) using randomized control trials (RCT; n = 22) or quasi-experimental designs (QED; n = 6) were included. Most studies (n = 22) included social-emotional skills as primary outcomes. The meta-analysis revealed a medium to large overall effect size, with Hedges' g = 0.62, 95% CI [0.36, 0.88], p < 0.001. We found that digital interventions have a statistically significantly large effect on enhancing social-emotional skills compared with language and communication skills, cognitive skills, daily living skills, and physical skills. The results of moderator analyses indicated that computer-based interventions have larger effect sizes in comparison to tablet/smartphone-based interventions. No statistically significant differences were observed between studies utilizing RCT and those using QED. We recommended the integration of digital interventions as supplemental resources in behavioral and educational interventions. Further research needs to focus on more females, young children, and adolescents with ASD in digital intervention research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 01623257 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06563-4 |
