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Behaviorally Based Interventions for Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children with ASD in Inclusive Settings: A Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Behaviorally based interventions have been demonstrated to be effective to teach social interaction skills for children with autism spectrum disorders in general education. However, the overall and moderating effects of these interventions have not been previously investigated in inclusive settings. The goal of this study was to investigate the overall effectiveness and contextual factors that moderate intervention effectiveness in inclusive settings. Findings showed overall high effect size based on studies previously considered of methodological quality in single-case research. Interventions are demonstrated to be highly effective for children aged 2–10 years. While differences were found according to target social skills and behavioral components used, no differential effects were found regarding intervention implementer and peer training. The findings highlight the practical significance of behavioral interventions and guide educators toward more suitable evidence-based practices in inclusive settings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Educação, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Rua Alberto Rosa, 154, CEP 96010-770, Porto, Pelotas, RS, Brazil

    Síglia Pimentel Höher Camargo

  2. College of Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Mandy Rispoli

  3. Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Jennifer Ganz & Heather Davis

  4. Department of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Ee Rea Hong

  5. Juniper Garden Children’s Project, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, USA

    Rose Mason

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  1. Síglia Pimentel Höher Camargo
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  2. Mandy Rispoli
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  3. Jennifer Ganz
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Correspondence to Síglia Pimentel Höher Camargo.

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Camargo, S.P.H., Rispoli, M., Ganz, J. et al. Behaviorally Based Interventions for Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children with ASD in Inclusive Settings: A Meta-analysis. J Behav Educ 25, 223–248 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-015-9240-1

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