Digital Therapy Interventions for Improving Communication Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

Abstract

To review the research and application status of digital therapy interventions for improving communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to provide evidence‑based references for clinical practice.Following the PRISMA guidelines,we searched eight electronic databases for relevant records from their inception through March 2026. The search strategy used Boolean operators with both subject headings and freetext terms,and we also checked the reference lists of eligible studies by hand. Twentyone randomized controlled trials were included. Across these studies,digital therapy interventions shared several recurring features: teaching basic skills,providing key skills training,offering gamified and immersive practice,empowering and training caregivers,using datadriven feedback to make individualized adjustments,and enabling remote collaboration with professionals. Outcome assessments focused mainly on core ASD symptoms. The trial data suggests that digital therapy may improve emotion recognition,social responsiveness,and cognitive flexibility in children with ASD,while also showing good feasibility and acceptability. Taken together,these findings indicate that digital therapeutic approaches may help reduce core symptoms and improve related functional outcomes in this population.