The present study explored the shift from understanding to intervention to population impact in the empirical research published in this journal at five points of time over 40 years since the release of DSM-III. Two-thirds of the more than 600 original studies identified involved basic research, a pattern that is consistent with previous analyses…

Background: Intensive interaction is an approach used to develop the communication and social inclusion of those who are pre-verbal. It is used in a variety of settings by healthcare and educational staff. Method: A systematic search was conducted to identify and review the literature which explores staff experiences of intensive interaction being…

Approximately 50 years of research on rapid toilet training (RTT) first used by Azrin and Foxx (1971) indicates RTT is effective for teaching individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) independent toileting routines. Professionals focused on toilet training may be familiar with RTT procedures but be less informed about the…

Parents of children with developmental disabilities are susceptible to mental health problems. Mindfulness-based and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based interventions can improve their mental well-being. This review examined the effectiveness of mindfulness-based and ACT-based interventions in improving mental well-being and mindfulness…

Although the impact of peer-mediated interventions on students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been studied extensively, little attention has focused on the peers without disabilities who are so central to these interventions. We reviewed 98 studies to examine the portrait of more than 3,000 peers without disabilities…

Requests for pathological demand avoidance diagnoses have increased over recent years but pathological demand avoidance remains a controversial issue. We undertook a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies of pathological demand avoidance, using standardised appraisal and synthesis methods, to assess how pathological demand avoidance is…

Skinner (1957) differentiated the roles of the speaker and the listener in a verbal encounter. Although not extensively emphasized, Skinner suggested an individual often behaves verbally even when responding as a listener. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often display the absence of important, and basic verbal repertoires…

For children with autism or intellectual and developmental disabilities who also have complex communication needs, communication is a necessary skill set to increase independence and quality of life. Understanding the how, where, and communication style being taught is important for identifying deficits in the field as well as which interventions…

A literature review of evidence-based social skills curricula that support adolescents with autism and developmental disabilities (ASD/DD) is presented. This article provides an overview of peer-reviewed articles and evaluation of the feasibility of implementing evidence-based interventions for social skills within the academic setting for…

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder continues to rise, there is a growing demand for well-trained service providers to provide behavior analytic interventions. With this increased service need comes the necessity to develop new and efficient training methods as an alternative to traditional face-to-face training. This paper provides a…

Purpose: A systematic review was performed to determine the extent to which orthographic facilitation, a strategy to improve word learning, has been demonstrated in the literature for children and adolescents from clinical categories such as developmental language disorders (DLD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Down syndrome, dyslexia, hearing…

Early school transitions are exciting, yet challenging, experiences for children with special needs, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and their families. Transition to school support practices can help facilitate this difficult process for key stakeholders. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the literature on transition…

This paper provides an overview of five review studies that analyzed 92 single subject studies on the effectiveness of major augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for individuals with developmental disabilities including autism. This paper offers recommendations useful for AAC decision-making points. Research on the…

Video-based instruction (VBI) has a substantial amount of research supporting its use with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. However, it has typically been implemented as a treatment package containing multiple interventions. Additionally, there are procedural variations of VBI. Thus, it is difficult…

Feeding disorders exhibited by children with developmental disabilities, which include limiting food intake or refusing to consume solid foods, often result in poor health consequences. Interventions for feeding disorders vary in terms of their acceptability to children with disabilities and their families. One specific procedure, the…