Writing Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Research Synthesis.

Area of Science:

• Special Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Applied Behavior Analysis

Background:

• Written expression challenges are common in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Previous research synthesized to identify effective writing interventions and their components for ASD learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify writing interventions studied for individuals with ASD.
• To determine intervention features influencing writing skills in ASD learners.
• To evaluate the quality of existing research on this topic.

Main Methods:

• A systematic research synthesis of single-case design studies.
• Inclusion criteria applied to 24 studies representing 62 participants.
• Analysis focused on intervention types, effectiveness, and features.

Main Results:

• Nine distinct writing interventions were identified, with most focusing on self-regulated strategy development.
• Effective interventions, defined by a Percentage of Non-overlapping Data (PND) above 70%, were reported.
• A key emergent feature was the use of "packages" combining multiple supports (visual, motivational, technology, etc.) with writing interventions.

Conclusions:

• Self-regulated strategy development is a prominent and effective intervention approach for improving writing skills in individuals with ASD.
• Combined support "packages" represent a promising strategy for enhancing writing outcomes in ASD learners.
• Further research synthesis suggests the importance of multifaceted approaches in supporting written expression for individuals with ASD.