The impact of psychoeducation interventions on social skills in autistic 5–12-year-olds: a narrative systematic review

Little is known about the effectiveness of psychoeducation for autistic children and young people (CYP), though evidence supports this approach in other populations. This is the first systematic review to assess the impact of psychoeducational interventions on autistic CYPs’ social, communication and interaction, and to provide recommendations for future intervention development. Eleven studies, including 727 participants, met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest interventions with psychoeducation can support specific skills such as initiating and maintaining interactions, recognising social cues and navigating peer relationships. However, evidence quality was generally low, and there is limited clarity on what works best, for whom, or over time. Interventions frequently lacked theoretical grounding and long-term follow-up, and often adopted a medical model, overlooking autistic perspectives and priorities. Future research should adopt participatory approaches to ensure diversity, inclusivity and co-production with autistic people. Transparent reporting of participant characteristics and meaningful, neurodiversity-affirming outcome measures are also essential. Interventions may further benefit from incorporating non-autistic peers to promote mutual understanding and acceptance of different, not deficient, social practices between autistic and non-autistic CYP. This review highlights the potential of psychoeducation but underscores the need for more rigorous, inclusive and context-sensitive research to support autistic CYP's wellbeing and social development.