Efectividad de las intervenciones psicológicas en Trastorno del Espectro Autista: una revisión sistemática de meta-análisis y revisiones sistemáticas

Abstract

Effectiveness of psychological interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): a systematic review of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions in children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The design of the study was a review of reviews that included systematic reviews and meta-analyses that examined psychological interventions in children with ASD with the aim of improving the symptoms, functioning, well-being and quality of life of these children. The search was conducted in the databases PubMed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library and Prospero, with a time limitation of publications in the last 5 years. The risk of bias of the selected studies was assessed using the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2) instrument. Eight systematic review and meta-analysis studies have been analyzed. The analysis according to the therapy model reports that cognitive behavioral therapy is useful for the management of anxiety symptoms in high-functioning ASD. Behavioral therapy is effective for the improvement of communication, social interactions, autonomy skills and intelligence. The studies reviewed present a wide heterogeneity of variables and assessment measures, as well as of programs and intervention strategies with combined treatment programs, which does not allow definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of specific programs. Certain key points are concluded as guidelines for intervention in autism.