Our main purpose in this review was to determine the extent to which ecological validity was demonstrated and assessed in single-case experimental design (SCED) studies examining the effectiveness of function-based interventions (FBIs) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within schools. We reviewed 55 SCED studies published between 1985 and 2019 to identify indicators of ecological validity and the instruments used to assess it. We also conducted an analysis to determine the extent to which implementation procedures were described. Results indicated that approximately half of the assessments and FBIs were conducted by teachers in classrooms. Approximately 50% of the assessments and FBIs were implemented within the context of isolated sessions and required multiple implementers. Ecological validity was assessed in seven of the studies reviewed. A complete description of implementation procedures was provided for approximately half of the assessments and FBIs. Limitations of the present review and future directions for research are discussed.

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Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may engage in repetitive social-communication behaviors that can limit their skill acquisition, access to reinforcement, and access to less restrictive settings. Basic and applied research indicates that variability, or the extent to which responses are topographically different from one another, is influenced by antecedent and consequence interventions. Our purpose in this study is to systematically review the literature on interventions to increase variable social-communication behaviors in individuals with ASD. We identified 32 studies through a database search and screened them using the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Single-Case Design Standards. Eighteen studies containing 55 cases met WWC Design Standards. We coded the descriptive characteristics and strength of evidence based on visual analysis from each of these 18 studies and calculated effect sizes using Tau-U. Our results indicate that most cases (65%) provide strong evidence of a functional relation between the interventions and varied social-communication behaviors, and the median Tau-U was .82. We discuss the implications of our results for practice and for future research on interventions designed to increase variability with this population.

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