Table 2 Inclusion and exclusion criteria of the SOSTA-net trial
Inclusion criteria | Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ICD-10: F84.0, F84.5, F84.1) |
|---|---|
Age 8-20 years at start of group therapy | |
Informed consent | |
No, or stable psychopharmacotherapy | |
Children and parents are fluent in reading German to be able to understand instructions and fill in questionnaires | |
Exclusion criteria | IQ < 70 (full scale IQ according to HAWIK-IV/WIE) |
Psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive episode with suicidal ideation, any personality disorder | |
Aggressive behaviour interfering with group therapy | |
Any neurological disorder (exception: well treated epilepsy) | |
Other medical condition interfering with therapy | |
Group-based SST during last 6 months prior to the study | |
Participation in other clinical trials including observation period of competing trials |