Effectiveness of peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a systematic review

• Published in: Early child development and care Vol. 190; no. 10; pp. 1586 - 1603
• Main Author: Aldabas, Rashed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 26.07.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic children; Behavior change; Child development; Children; Communication Skills; Educational Environment; Educational Research; Elementary School Students; Family Environment; Home environment; Interpersonal Competence; Intervention; Peer Teaching; peer tutoring; Peer-mediated interventions; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Preschool children; Program Effectiveness; single-subject research; Social Behavior; Social Development; Social interaction; social interactions; Social skills; social social behaviours; Systematic review; Tutoring
• ISSN: 0300-4430; 1476-8275
• DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2019.1580275

The study aims to systematically review evidence on the effectiveness of peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) on children with ASD. A systematic review of English peer reviewed article journals was conducted. Only studies that had children with autism as participants and examined the effectiveness of PMIs in a school or home environment were eligible for inclusion. Twelve studies that reported a change in social behaviour. Eleven studies reported an improvement in the behaviour of target participants while one study did not find any improvement in social behaviour. There were four studies that reported an improvement in communication skills. The final finding is that PMI is an effective intervention for improving social behaviour and communication skills of children with ASD in inclusive settings.