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The purpose of this study was to identify evidenced-based, focused intervention practices for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder. This study was an extension and elaboration of a previous evidence-based practice review reported by Odom et al. (Prev Sch Fail 54:275–282, 2010b , doi: 10.1080/10459881003785506 ). In the current study, a computer search initially yielded 29,105 articles, and the subsequent screening and evaluation process found 456 studies to meet inclusion and methodological criteria. From this set of research studies, the authors found 27 focused intervention practices that met the criteria for evidence-based practice (EBP). Six new EBPs were identified in this review, and one EBP from the previous review was removed. The authors discuss implications for current practices and future research.

Social communication deficits are one of the two core characteristics demonstrated by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and require explicit instruction as soon as the deficit is discovered. The present investigation examined the use of video-enhanced activity schedules using tablet technology for teaching social interaction to children with ASD. A multiple probe across participants design was used to teach four preschool aged participants with ASD to show something they had accomplished to peers, and to demonstrate specific social conventions when doing so. An adapted alternating treatment design was also used to compare the differential effects of video enhanced activity schedules to electronic schedules without video. Two participants acquired social skills faster in the video enhanced activity schedule condition, and the other two participants learned at a comparable rate across interventions.

Social deficits are a core characteristic of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and co-occurring intellectual disabilities (ASD-ID). Despite persistence of these deficits into adolescence, few social skills interventions have been empirically evaluated for older individuals with ASD-ID. The present investigation adapted an efficacious protocol for adolescents with ASD, video-based group instruction (VGI), and extended the procedure to 4 adolescents in a public high school setting. A multiple probe across behaviors design demonstrated the effectiveness of VGI for teaching novel social behavior to three of the four participants, with mixed outcomes for the fourth participant. Long-term maintenance was observed for two participants, though generalization outcomes were mixed. The results support using VGI within high school curricula for some adolescents with ASD-ID.

Many researchers have studied various interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Occasionally, siblings will be included in intervention studies, participating in programs designed to address a number of challenges faced by individuals with ASD. Although sibling involvement in such interventions is not a new phenomenon, there is no consistent method for including siblings in treatment for individuals with ASD. The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature describing sibling involvement in interventions among families of children with ASD, describing patterns of research and targeted outcomes. The authors also identify gaps and areas for future consideration from researchers, clinicians, and families.

Four adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were taught to interact with peers by asking social questions or commenting about others during game play or group activities. Participants were shown a video model and then given an opportunity to perform the social behavior depicted in the model when playing a game with one another. All participants demonstrated an increase in both social interaction skills, replicating previous research on video-based group instruction for adolescents with ASD. The results suggest the procedure may be useful for teaching social skills that occur under natural conditions.

We previously conducted a series of conceptual replications to parse out which—and to what degree—adaptations and individualized supports were needed for children to access and learn early reading skills using Headsprout®. Here we developed a systematic decision-making process for providing levels of support to individuals with autism who require additional instruction in order to access and/or advance through Headsprout®. Using a series of single-case AB, ABC, and multiple-baseline designs we examined strategies from our previous research and additional strategies iteratively developed during the study on six students with autism, all of whom demonstrated progression through Headsprout® and increased reading skills. We provide practical implications for teachers and suggestions to research these supports with other computer-based programs.

Preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have marked deficits in pretend play that impede interactions with typically developing peers in inclusive early childhood settings. This study aimed to teach three young children with ASD to engage in pretend play behaviors with their peers. A multiple probe across participants experimental design was used to evaluate the effects of joint video modeling on scripted and unscripted verbalizations and scripted and unscripted play actions of children with ASD. The participants showed improvement on unscripted verbalizations during pretend play with typically developing peers in an inclusive early childhood setting.

The current study evaluated the effectiveness of video modeling to teach 2 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder 2 or 3 vocational and social skills in a simulated job setting. Applied behavior analysis technicians implemented a video modeling intervention 1–3 times per week for approximately 2 h each session. Videos for social skills were embedded into videos for vocational tasks. A multiple probe design across behaviors was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The results indicate that video modeling was effective for teaching vocational skills, although a functional relationship was not demonstrated for 1 participant due to lack of sufficient opportunity for replication. Mixed results were observed for social skills.

Current legislation requires educational practices be informed by science. The effort to establish educational practices supported by science has, to date, emphasized experiments with large numbers of participants who are randomly assigned to an intervention or control condition. A potential limitation of such an emphasis at the expense of other research methods is that evidence-based practices in education will derive only from science in the hypothetico-deductive tradition. Such a process omits practices originating from and tested through an inductive approach to understanding phenomena. Single-case experimental designs, developed by experimental and applied behavior analysts, offer an inductive process to identify and alter the lawful relations between the behavior of individual organisms and the environmental variables that are causally related to the occurrence or nonoccurrence of the behavior. Such designs have been essential in the development of effective instructional practices for students with disabilities and have much to offer the broader educational population as well. The purpose of the present paper is to provide an overview of single-case research methodology and the process by which this methodology can contribute to the identification of evidence-based instructional practices.

In this study, we evaluated three lessons from a manualized social play skills intervention, Play20. Play20 is a focused intervention that is designed to improve early social skill development in children with autism spectrum disorder through naturalistic play. First, we evaluated the procedural fidelity of instructor implementation of Play20, and we also evaluated the effects of an added instructor self-monitoring checklist in further improving instructor behavior. Finally, we evaluated the effects of Play20 on child play outcomes. Instructor procedural fidelity increased in the presence of the Play20 lessons, and further improved in the presence of the instructor self-monitoring checklist. Child outcomes moderately improved as well. Implications and future directions are discussed.