2 83 REVIEW OF APPLIED & CASUAL GAMES FOR MENTAL HEALTH Table A.3 Characteristics of the studies focusing on autism and social skill challenges Paper Country Target group N % male Age, mean (SD) Age range Intervention arms Intervention characteristics Assessments Variables measured Findings relevant for current review Alvares et al. 2019 Australia Children diagnosed with ASD 66 84.8 8.45 (2.21) 5-12 years 1. Frankie and Friends, social attention training game. 2. Control/ sham version of Frankie and Friends. 1-2. One 15minute session. Pre and post. Social attention orienting, social attention maintenance; social and communication difficulties, comorbid ADHD (moderators); in-game training data. Compared to the control group, the training group showed a significant increase in one of the social attention orienting measures. No training effect was observed on attentional maintenance to social stimuli. Beaumont et al. 2015*** Australia Children with high-functioning ASD 69 92.8 9.54 (1.57) 7-12 years 1. Structured version of the (modified) Secret Agent Society (SAS) program; manualized intervention delivered by facilitators, including the SAS computer game (applied game) and group sessions. 2. Unstructured SAS program, provided by facilitators “as they saw fit”, including the SAS computer game and free use of several resources (active condition). 1. Ten 90-minute (or twenty-five 45-minute) group sessions over a 10-week period. 2. Computer game pack materials were freely used over a 10week period. Pre, post and 6-weeks FU. Social competence, emotion regulation and social skills, child anxiety, anxiety and anger management strategies, child internalising and externalising behaviours, teacher’s efficacy in dealing with problem behaviours; treatment fidelity, qualitative program feedback. Both program variants led to improvements in social competence, emotion regulation and social skills, emotion management strategies, and problem behaviours at school and home. In general, the structured intervention showed superior treatment outcomes. Results were maintained at 6-weeks FU.
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