Undertaking a Systematic Literature Review of Educational Interventions for Children and Young People on the Autism Spectrum.

This case study focuses on the process of undertaking a commissioned systematic literature review of educational interventions for children and young people on the autism spectrum. The research was commissioned by the National Council for Special Education, Ireland to contribute to their review of educational provision for persons on the autism spectrum. A rigorous systematic literature search process identified 1,021 possible articles for inclusion in the review and following the application of inclusion/exclusion criteria and appraisal of methodological quality, methodological appropriateness and outcome, 85 best evidence studies were included in the final review. The review highlighted that research to date has focused on pre-school children and those aged 5-8 years and the majority of interventions seek to address core difficulties relating to autism – social interaction, communication and challenging behavior. Limitations particularly relate to a lack of interventions for older young people and the application of interventions in school settings. The case study will describe the commissioning process and how the review framework was developed, refined and applied. The review’s distinctive contribution in evaluating educational utility will be highlighted and the challenges of applying the framework and reporting the findings will be discussed.