Relatively little attention has been devoted to the social validation of potentially effective autism interventions. Thus, it is often difficult to identify and implement evidence-based practices, and programming is often inadequate. The authors identified autism intervention components with reported effectiveness for school settings. The results of a social validation survey completed by parents, teachers, and administrators indicate strong, consistent support for program components falling within five functional areas: (a) individualized programming, (b) data collection, (c) the use of empirically-based strategies, (d) active collaboration, and (e) a focus on long-term outcomes. These socially validated interventions can be used to evaluate existing autism curricula and develop training for professionals, parents, and students in order to improve public school autism programs.
