- NCAEP identified 28 evidence-based practices.
- They include visual supports, prompting, reinforcement and social narratives.
- Choose practices that fit each student's goals.
- AFIRM offers free training modules.
What are the 28 practices?
NCAEP's 2020 review identified 28 practices with evidence of effectiveness for autistic children and youth.1 Grouped for teachers:
| Group | Practices |
|---|---|
| Structure and visuals | Visual supports, antecedent-based interventions, task analysis |
| Teaching | Prompting, time delay, modeling, video modeling, discrete trial training, direct instruction |
| Motivation | Reinforcement, differential reinforcement, behavioral momentum |
| Communication | Augmentative and alternative communication, functional communication training |
| Social | Social narratives, social skills training, peer-based instruction |
| Natural contexts | Naturalistic intervention, parent-implemented intervention |
| Self and wellbeing | Self-management, cognitive behavioral strategies, exercise and movement, music-mediated intervention |
| Understanding behavior | Functional behavioral assessment, extinction, response interruption and redirection |
| Technology and sensory | Technology-aided instruction, Ayres sensory integration |
Where should a teacher start?
Many classrooms start with three:
- Visual supports: schedules, first-then boards, labels
- Prompting: giving just enough help, then fading it
- Reinforcement: noticing and rewarding what you want to see
How do I choose the right practice?
Try
- Starting from the student's goal
- Choosing a practice with evidence for that goal
- Collecting simple data to check it's working
Skip
- Programs promising to 'fix' autism
- Using a practice without training
Free printable: classroom packPDF · 8 pages · timetable, now and next, token board, calm corner, breaks, transitions, story and profile
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