Effectiveness of Behavioral Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is identified by a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. In view of the importance of, and demand for, novel behavioural interventions in autism disorder, a comprehensive evaluation of the outcomes of interventions for the ongoing impact of behavioral interventions in ASD is necessary.Methods: A systematic search of the electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Scopus, Sciencedirect, Web of Science, and Biomed central were conducted to find evidence for the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in ASDs. The search strategy was based on exploring studies published in different global languages from the earliest to 2019 databases. In addition to the databases mentioned above, relevant studies were searched using forward and backward citation tracing.Results: In the present review, 48 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), and 44 quasi-experimental articles matched the defined evaluation criteria. Eighty-three out of 93 studies were conducted in high-income countries, the results of which raised the challenges associated with acceptability of conducting those studies in low- and middle-income countries. The majority of those studies (93.5%) were classified as having either low or medium quality. From those studies, 32 studies used integrative programs, and 30 studies used social skills development interventions. The majority of the studies were based on integrative programs designed to foster social skills. The results of the study showed that social skills development interventions were effective in changing the desired outcomes. The results showed that, regardless of the study design and the type of intervention used, the possibility of success in interventions were greater in changing the participants’ social skills.Conclusion: There were inconsistent evidence on the effectiveness of interventions in providing changes in targeted outcomes. There is a need for further investigation in behavioral interventions for ASDs. Further research is needed to understand the effectiveness of other interventions and finding quality interventions to achieve more significant results.