Interventions for Students With Autism in Inclusive Settings: A Best-Evidence Synthesis and Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Psychological bulletin 2019-05, Vol.145 (5), p.490-507
• Main Authors: Watkins, Laci, Ledbetter-Cho, Katherine, O'Reilly, Mark, Barnard-Brak, Lucy, Garcia-Grau, Pau
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Autism Spectrum Disorder - therapy; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Child; Child, Preschool; Communication; Communication skills; Education; Educational Program Planning; Environmental Education; Evidence-based practice; Human; Humans; Inclusive Education; Intervention; Mainstreaming (Educational); Mainstreaming, Education - methods; Meta Analysis; Peer Group; Peers; Quantitative analysis; School Based Intervention; Selfmonitoring; Social Influences; Social Skills; Special Education Students; Student Characteristics; Students; Systematic review; Teachers; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0033-2909; 1939-1455
• DOI: 10.1037/bul0000190

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly educated alongside typically developing peers in regular education environments. These students have impairments that may hinder their success in inclusive school settings and require individualized supports to improve outcomes. The purpose of this meta-analysis and best-evidence synthesis is to examine the characteristics of interventions for students with ASD in inclusive settings, offer quantitative analysis of intervention effects, examine potential moderating variables that influence outcomes, analyze the social validity of these interventions, and provide recommendations for practice and future research. The 28 included studies met the What Works Clearinghouse standards for group design and single-case design research. Studies focused mostly on social communication skills, produced moderate to large effects, and were generally found to be socially valid. Function-based interventions, visual supports, self-monitoring strategies, and peer-mediated interventions resulted in mostly large effects, and teacher delivered interventions produced the largest overall effects. More high-quality studies for students with ASD in inclusive school settings are needed to advance evidence-based practice for this population. Public Significance Statement This study analyzes interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in inclusive classroom settings. Function-based interventions, visual supports, self-monitoring, and peer-mediated interventions produced strong results. Interventions mostly targeted social communication skills and were considered feasible to implement in inclusive settings. Future studies that train teachers to implement these interventions, target additional skills, and include students with ASD with diverse characteristics are needed.