The use of Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children in schools to improve the ability of children with autism to complete tasks independently: A single-case meta-analysis.

This study looked at whether TEACCH (a structured teaching approach) helps autistic children complete tasks independently at school. Researchers combined results from 14 smaller studies involving 38 children. They found TEACCH was very effective - children showed significant improvements in completing tasks on their own. The approach worked well regardless of the child's specific characteristics or school setting, suggesting it could help many autistic students become more independent learners.

This meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children) interventions in school settings for improving independent task completion in children with autism spectrum disorders. Researchers analyzed 14 studies involving 38 participants, calculating Tau-U effect sizes for A-B comparisons. Results demonstrated a significant large intervention effect (Tau-U = 0.85), indicating TEACCH is highly effective for improving independent task performance. The analysis found significant differences based on intervention target behaviours but limited variation in intervention types.

No differences were observed across participant characteristics, setting characteristics, or intervener characteristics, suggesting broad applicability across diverse school contexts.

TEACCH shows strong evidence for improving independent task completion in school settings for autistic children. The broad applicability across different contexts suggests it could be widely implemented in educational settings. Schools should consider TEACCH-based interventions as an evidence-based approach to support student independence, with particular attention to matching intervention strategies to specific target behaviours.

The meta-analysis included only 14 studies with 38 participants total, representing a relatively small sample. The abstract does not specify participant age ranges, autism severity levels, or duration of interventions. Limited variation in intervention types may restrict generalizability of findings across different TEACCH implementation approaches.

To investigate the effectiveness of a Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) intervention in schools for improving independent task performance in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We screened relevant studies published up to December 2022 from Web of science, ERIC, PsycINFO and other databases using predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria to identify suitable intervention studies for meta-analysis. Tau-U effect sizes were calculated for each A-B comparison extracted from the included experiments. Moderated analyses were conducted to examine the type of intervention (independent variable), intervention target behaviours (dependent variable), participant characteristics, setting characteristics and intervener characteristics.

A total of 14 studies (38 participants) met the criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The analysis results showed that TEACCH had a significant intervention effect, and the overall intervention effect size was Tau-U = 0.85[0.77, 0.91]. There were significant differences in the intervention target behaviour variables (p < 0.01), limited variation in the intervention type variables, but no differences in participant characteristics, setting characteristics and intervenor characteristics. The use of TEACCH is effective in improving independent task completion in children with ASD and provides evidence-based recommendations for its extended use in schools.