A Descriptive Secondary Analysis of Evidence-Based Interventions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to increase, more students with ASD will require support in educational settings. Recent systematic reviews have identified numerous evidence-based interventions for individuals with ASD, but none have focused specifically on intervention in schools. This is important because educators face several unique challenges and resource limitations that contribute to the gap between research and practice. We conducted a descriptive secondary analysis of articles included in the two most comprehensive reviews of the literature to date, with the aim of determining the extent to which evidence-based interventions have been evaluated in schools. Result indicates that evidence-based interventions have been disproportionately validated in non-school settings, and the extent to which they have been examined in schools varies by intervention. Further, the majority of school-based intervention studies feature tightly controlled study conditions that may limit external validity. Implications for future research are discussed.