Translating Evidence-Based Research to Practical Interventions for Students with Autism

Abstract

With an increasing prevalence of students with autism (ASD), practitioners must be able to evaluate research on evidence-based practices (EBPs) to guide decision-making on their adoption and implementation of interventions. The current literature review investigated the extent to which researcher-reported variables can assist practitioners in translating research to practice by analyzing EBPs focusing on social communication outcomes. The recent National Clearinghouse for Autism Evidence and Practice EBP report for individuals with ASD (Steinbrenner et al., 2020) served as the basis for the current review. Specifically for this review, EBPs that showed positive effects on the outcome areas of “social” and “communication” were targeted. Procedures used by Johnson and colleagues (2018) were replicated and extended to examine research practices that impact implementation in natural settings. Concerning participant demographics, although most studies reported age (98%) and sex (88%) of the participants, only 44% provided inclusion criteria, 25% reported race/ethnicity, 7% reported primary language uses, 5% reported family structure, and 2% reported SES of the participants. Moreover, 36% of the studies failed to disclose the interventionists, and of those reported, most interventionists (42%) were researchers. The studies were implemented in a multitude of settings with the majority occurring in schools (58%) and in one-on-one instructional groups (80%). Maintenance, generalization, and social validity measures were reported in 53%, 48%, and 34% of the studies, respectively. Researchers must report comprehensively, allowing practitioners to glean needed information. Further, researchers should work to conduct studies in more naturalistic contexts and assess the social validity, maintenance, and generalization of outcomes. Practitioners should be aware that EBPs might not work with all learners in all contexts. Therefore, considerations should be made about the generalizability of research contexts to natural settings. With work from researchers and practitioners, students with autism can have better access to EBPs, improving their outcomes.