Purpose of Technology

Social skills trainings for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are nonpharmacological interventions intended to reduce the negative impact of ASD on the child or adolescent and his/her family. Social skills training teaches children or adolescents with ASD to interact, share, and play and work with others, thereby enhancing participation in family, school, and community activities.

Questions addressed in this report include:

• Does social skills training enable children with ASD to make significant gains in social interaction and communication with caregivers and peers?
• Are some training approaches better than others?
• Is delivery by professional staff associated with better outcomes than delivery by parents or other caregivers?
• Is social skills training safe?
• Have definitive patient selection criteria been established for social skills training for ASD?

These questions provide a framework for review and synthesis of the best available evidence, which is presented in this report, along with the Hayes Ratings for the technology. This report also provides background information about the condition being treated, a description of the technology, and the context for development of the technology. Other key elements addressed in the report include the regulatory status; applicable Medicare and commercial payer coverage policies; relevant ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis codes; cost and cost effectiveness; credentialing; hospital length of stay; need for large case management; and ongoing and future clinical trials of the technology.

Posted in Directory Reports
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 8:00 am.