Despite the movement toward identification of evidence‐based practices (EBPs), there is a discrepancy in the availability of school‐based EBPs targeting the unique needs of students with high functioning forms of autism and related social needs. Based on calls for systematic intervention development and evaluation processes, the current study describes the manualization, feasibility, and effectiveness testing of the school‐based Social Competence Intervention for Adolescents (SCI‐A) curriculum. School personnel were trained to implement SCI‐A to a targeted student population. Fidelity and social validity data indicated curriculum feasibility and acceptability within secondary school settings. Student social functioning, executive functioning, and theory of mind demonstrated postintervention gains with moderate effect sizes. Results are promising for SCI‐A's continued positive trajectory within the phases of EBP evaluation research. Challenges for intervention effectiveness testing within schools and future considerations for evaluating EBPs are discussed.

Although some literature reviews cited mixed results for group-based social competence interventions in schools, existing descriptions of intervention efficacy often lack attention on important factors that may moderate differential response. Some studies suggest that individual characteristics such as diagnosis (i.e., specific deficit clusters) or behavioral profiles may be important social outcome moderators. Given the interactive nature of group-based interventions, understanding how individual characteristics combine to influence outcomes for the group as a whole is an important next step. By using a multisite cluster randomized control trial (n = 274), the current study explores the impact that varying student characteristics have on outcomes of the Social Competence Intervention for Adolescents (SCI-A; Stichter, Herzog, Owens, & Malugen, 2016; Stichter et al., 2010) compared to outcomes of business-as-usual (BAU) practices. Researchers hypothesized that (a) SCI-A would be more effective than BAU in improving ratings of students' social functioning when students within groups were more similar to each other on relevant diagnostic and behavioral indicators, and (b) that within SCI-A only, more versus less homogenous groups would demonstrate greater social outcome gains. Results offer some support for these hypotheses: SCI-A was more effective in improving social communication and motivation when groups were diagnostically similar (ds > 0.55). Considering changes in social awareness and communication, SCI-A was more effective when groups were heterogeneous on socially competent behavior (ds > 1.32) and less effective when groups were heterogeneous on antisocial behavior (ds > 1.00). The authors discuss the implications and importance of research exploring factors such as group composition that may moderate intervention response in applied settings. (PsycINFO Database Record

The availability of effective research-based interventions and practices within schools is a growing concern within the field of education. There remains a lack of interventions that have been fully evaluated for use within schools and by school personnel, particularly in the area of social skills interventions. Understanding the need for social skills interventions and the long-term impact of not receiving appropriate programming is clear. Less is established on how to define the specific need and appropriate manner by which to match intervention to those needs within school settings. This article provides a six-step decision-making process designed to support educators in determining best practice social skills instruction.

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] To best meet the needs of elementary-aged students with Autism Spectrum Disorder who engage in challenging behaviors in the classroom, identifying a practical and feasible function-based intervention to both reduce problem behaviors and increase appropriate behaviors is optimal (Koegel, Matos-Freden, Lang and Koegel, 2012). The purpose of the current study is to extend previous research suggesting that Functional Communication Training (FCT) is an effective intervention to increase appropriate communication responses, and in turn decrease instances of problem behavior, when it is integrated with a chained schedule of reinforcement and programmed schedule-thinning (Zangrillo, Fisher, Greer, Owen, DeSouza, 2016). In addition to assessing intervention effectiveness and feasibility of teacher implementation, this study also assesses the extent to which applying mitigating strategies throughout the intervention would impact the likelihood of treatment relapse (Mace et al., 2010). Findings suggest that challenging behavior decreased throughout intervention, and functional communication and time on-task increased. Additionally, the data suggest that relapse did not occur. Implications for practice in the classroom are discussed.