Improving social skills of young adults with autism
Published June 2017
Download the full evidence summary PDF: Autism and social skills
What were we asked?
A parent of a young adult with autism asked us to look at the evidence for interventions that support young adults with autism to interact with others and make friends independently.
Key findings
Group social skills training and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) may improve social skills of young adults with autism - more rigorous trials are needed to confirm improvements suggested by parents in published trials.
There is little evidence for the effectiveness of CBT for reducing social anxiety in young adults, but there is some evidence to support the use of CBT with younger children with autism and anxiety.
NICE guidelines recommend both social skills training for young adults with autism, and an adapted version of CBT for young adults with autism and anxiety.