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Background: Interventions for social difficulties have not been investigated in the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) population despite observations of elevated rates of social difficulties. In this pilot study, the effectiveness of a 14-week telehealth PEERS® intervention with nineteen adolescents with NF1 (Mage=13.79 years, SD = 1.32) with social skills difficulties was examined. Measures of social outcomes were completed at three timepoints (before, immediately after, and at 14-week follow-up). Results: Caregiver-reported social-emotional skills, social impairment, caregiver-reported number of adolescent get-togethers, and teen social knowledge showed significant improvement following the intervention. Conclusions: The PEERS® intervention is promising to support the social and friendship skills of adolescents with NF1 who have social difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review was conducted to determine the scope and nature of the literature for adolescents with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) by (1) characterizing the NF1 cognitive and psychosocial literature focusing on adolescence; (2) examining the risk of bias within the available literature; and (3) describing the extent to which the literature provides demographic information. Forty articles included adolescents in their samples, though most did not focus on adolescence specifically. This review underscores gaps in our understanding of cognitive and behavioral functioning and in reporting relevant demographic information at this critical developmental timepoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]