Social-Cognitive Skills Training: Promising Findings for Autistic Adults
Social-cognitive skills, such as the ability to understand emotions or interpret others' intentions, are an important part of daily life. For autistic people, as well as people with schizophrenia, difficulties in this area can affect overall functioning. Until now, most research and development of interventions in this field have focused on schizophrenia, but new research offers a promising direction for adults on the Autistic Spectrum as well.
A study published in Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 2026 Oct, examined the application and effectiveness of social-cognitive skills training (SCST) among adults. The study included 47 adults on the Autistic Spectrum and/or with schizophrenia, who were divided into two groups: a training group that received weekly group sessions for six weeks, and a control group that received routine treatment.
The training focused on two layers of social cognition: basic-level emotion processing (such as identifying facial expressions) and the ability to understand others' perspectives (Theory of Mind - ToM). Researchers evaluated changes in these skills, as well as in clinical symptoms and overall functioning, at the beginning of the study, at its end, and at a six-week follow-up.
Initial findings indicate that SCST significantly improved the perception of facial expressions among all participants. In addition, a trend of specific improvement in Theory of Mind - ToM was observed among the autistic participants. It is important to note that these effects were maintained over time, and led to an overall improvement in daily functioning only for the autistic participants at the follow-up stage. The study also found that the training was applicable - with high attendance rates and positive feedback from participants.
Although these are preliminary findings, they offer support for the ability of social-cognitive interventions to benefit autistic people. This is the first time a study has demonstrated direct functional benefits among adults on the Autistic Spectrum as a result of such training. The findings reinforce the need to develop integrated interventions that include broad components suitable for diverse populations, along with personalized modules for the unique needs of autistic people. This finding inspires hope and provides an innovative direction for developing tools that will help autistic adults improve their quality of life and functioning.