A Meta-Analytic Review of Family-Implemented Social and Communication Interventions for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities

Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Hong, E. R., Ganz, J. B., et al. (2016).

Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 3(2), 125-136.

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effects of family-implemented interventions on social and communication skills in individuals with developmental disabilities.

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Experimental research designs, including single-case (e.g., alternating treatment, reversal, changing criterion, multiple baseline design) or group designs if time-series data was reported

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<div>Family-implemented interventions demonstrated moderate positive effects on the social and communication skills of children with developmental disabilities (ES= 0.64). Specific findings were as follows:</div> <ul> <li>Pre-school aged individuals demonstrated the largest effects (ES= 0.66), followed by elementary school aged individuals (ES= 0.60). Adolescents demonstrated less robust improvements (ES= 0.59) when compared to pre-school aged students. No studies analyzed treatment effects for secondary-aged students.</li> <li>Family-implemented intervention outcomes were similar no matter the communication or language skill level of the individuals with developmental disabilities (minimal spontaneous speech ES= 0.65; some speech ES= 0.59; no speech ES= 0.73).</li> <li>Similar outcomes were noted for adult-led instruction (ES= 0.65) and person-centered instruction (ES= 0.68).</li> <li>Varying effects were noted for augmentative and alternative communication use (ES= 0.77), vocalization (ES= 0.55), social behaviors (ES= 0.66), and nonverbal communication (ES= 0.79).</li> </ul> <div>The authors conclude that "findings from this analysis may indicate that the practice of family-implemented interventions can be utilized for individuals with [developmental disabilities] ... regardless of their level of communication/language skills" (p. 9). Limitations to this review include lack of reported details regarding treatment duration/dosage, lack of investigation of long-term and generalization effects, and a paucity of research for older children and adults.</div>