Peer-Mediated Social Skills Interventions in Primary School Settings for Autistic Children in the Light of the ICF Bio-psycho-social Model. A Systematic Review.

This review looked at programs where typical peers help autistic children learn social skills in primary school. Twenty-four studies showed these peer-helper programs generally work well for improving social skills. However, only a few studies checked if the benefits lasted over time, with mixed results. The researchers suggest these programs could be even more effective if they better considered how children interact with their environment.

This systematic review examined peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) for autistic children aged 6-12 years in primary school settings. Twenty-four studies were analyzed using PRISMA methodology, with most employing multiple baseline designs. The review found that PMIs were generally effective for improving social skills in autistic children. However, only five studies included follow-up assessments, which showed mixed results regarding sustained benefits.

The authors analyzed PMIs through the International Classification of Functioning framework and found partial alignment with bio-psycho-social principles, though interventions weren't originally designed with this model in mind. The review suggests that systematically incorporating individual-environment interactions could enhance intervention effectiveness.

Peer-mediated interventions show promise for improving social skills in primary school-aged autistic children. However, more research with follow-up assessments is needed to establish long-term benefits. Incorporating systematic individual-environment interaction perspectives may enhance intervention design and effectiveness in school settings.

Limited follow-up data across studies makes it difficult to assess long-term effectiveness. The review acknowledges that PMIs weren't originally designed using the ICF framework, which may limit comprehensive bio-psycho-social analysis. The abstract doesn't specify methodological quality assessment details or effect sizes.

This systematic review expands the current knowledge about Peer-Mediated Interventions (PMIs) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, focusing exclusively on primary school age (6-12 years). The study has three aims: (1) describing the main features of the PMI programs; (2) discussing the PMIs efficacy on autistic children's social skills; (3) analyzing whether the PMIs were coherent with the bio-psycho-social model promoted by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) classification system, by referring to the person-environment interaction and to the concepts of body functions and structures, environmental factors, and activity and participation. The systematic review followed the PRISMA-P method. The literature search was conducted in August 2024 through PsycInfo, PsycArticles, Education Source, and PubMed databases.

A total of 558 articles were generated; 1 study was later added. Twenty-four articles were finally included. Most of the studies used a multiple baseline design across subjects and proved to be effective. Yet, only 5 studies included a follow-up assessment, which showed contrasting results.

PMIs partly fit the ICF bio-psycho-social vision, even if they were not designed for this purpose. Our analysis arises from the belief that systematically including the perspective of individual-environment interaction could better guarantee the intervention efficacy.