Quality of evidence for social communication interventions targeted at children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Main Author: Poh, Zhi Wei
• Other Authors: Suzy Styles
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/139211
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The goal of this systematic review is to examine current best practices in addressing social deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), across different age-groups. A wide range of evidence-based interventions had been found to be effective in improving social communication and interactions, but quality of evidence across all studies may not be equally distributed. The review assessed eligible studies on their quality of evidence, by evaluating the quality indicators and risks of bias present in each study. The quality of evidence in a study is crucial in the evaluation of overall intervention effectiveness, as poor evidence quality and high risk of bias can potentially skew findings. The systematic review also aimed to evaluate and compare quality of studies across different age-groups, as social deficits faced by individuals with ASD is lifelong and they require effective interventions to mitigate social difficulties throughout childhood. By assessing the quality of evidence for current interventions, this review hopes to guide educators, parents and clinicians in making informed decisions on the best evidence-based practice for children with ASD.