International review of the evidence on best practice in educational provision for children on the autism spectrum

Abstract

There is considerable debate regarding the most appropriate and effective ways of supporting the learning of children and young people on the autism spectrum. This international review provides a synthesis of empirical research and expert evidence (dated 2002–2008) to identify best practice in educational provision for these children. Five bibliographic databases were systematically searched using clearly defined keywords, and abstracts assessed according to explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria; 92 research papers that focused on children and young people were included. Expert evidence was drawn from policy documents and government strategies, or research reports, from the UK and Ireland. Findings show that there is insufficiently strong evidence regarding the effectiveness of one type of intervention approach compared with another. A range of educational provision should be maintained in order to cater appropriately for a wide diversity of needs. Interventions most often researched were those involving intensive behavioural techniques and some studies showed these can be successful in teaching specific skills to some children. There was limited evidence regarding the needs of older children as well as consideration of educational provision more widely, including the effects of type of setting (as distinct from a specific type of intervention or learning approach). More research is needed on other types of educational interventions currently used by parents and in schools as well as greater collaboration between researchers and practitioners to establish what works best for children and young people on the autism spectrum.