The Use of Digital Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder—A Meta-Analysis.

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 stan...

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Publicado en:Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 499 - 516
Autores principales: Xu, Fang, Gage, Nicholas, Zeng, Songtian, Zhang, Madian, Iun, Anastasiia, O'Riordan, Margaret, Kim, Eunsuk
Formato: equations & formulas meta analysis research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Springer Nature Feb2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Feb2026
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        atl: The Use of Digital Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder—A Meta-Analysis.
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          Xu, Fang
          Gage, Nicholas
          Zeng, Songtian
          Zhang, Madian
          Iun, Anastasiia
          O'Riordan, Margaret
          Kim, Eunsuk
        affil: https://ror.org/05y5qmm69 Teacher Preparation Program in Special Education, College of Education, Heritage University, 3240 Fort Road, 98948, Toppenish, WA, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Autism Spectrum Disorder Therapy
          Digital Technology
          Therapy, Computer Assisted
          Child Development
          Adolescent Development
          Communication Skills
          Social Skills
          Cognition
          Skill Acquisition
          Treatment Outcomes
          Human
          Systematic Review
          Meta Analysis
          Children with Disabilities
          Descriptive Statistics
          Confidence Intervals
          Male
          Female
          Data Analysis Software
          Activities of Daily Living
          Smartphone
          Computers, Portable
          ERIC Database
          Psycinfo
          PubMed
          Child
          Adolescence
          Effect Size
          Child: 6-12 years
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: 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.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        equations & formulas
        meta analysis
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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