Autistic Input in Social Skills Interventions for Young Adults: a Systematic Review of the Literature

There has been a recent increase in research on social skills interventions for young adults on the autism spectrum. However, little is known about how autistic adults inform the design and measurement of these interventions. In this systematic literature review, 26 studies published over the past 20 + years were examined following a comprehensive search. The relative effectiveness of these interventions was mixed. Less than half of the studies described an intentional process for collecting feedback from participants, and only four sought input when designing the intervention. Implications for the lack of autistic input are discussed, as well as the potential consequences of heavily relying on parent/caregiver reports for an adult population. Recommendations are made for future research and practice related to enhancing the social validity of social skills interventions for autistic adults by including them in developing and evaluating interventions.