Interventions for Challenging Behaviours of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities: A Synthesis Paper

This synthesis paper summarizes research literature addressing challenging be-haviours in children and youth with autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities in school settings. We conducted a comprehensive literature review to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles published between the years 2000 and 2011. The methodological quality of all studies was screened following a stan-dard quality assessment checklist. Intervention effects were assessed quantitatively. Results of quality analysis and intervention effectiveness were in-tegrated to identify interventions with strong support and evidence of effectiveness. We discuss results in terms of implications for intervention choice and implementation in school settings, limitations, and directions for future re-search