Classroom-based peer interventions targeting autism ignorance, prejudice and/or discrimination: a systematic PRISMA review

A growing movement towards inclusive education worldwide means more children with autism are being educated in mainstream classrooms. However, integration does not equate to inclusion, and peer stigmatisation of autism is commonplace. This systematic review explores the merit of school-based peer education interventions targeting the stigmatisation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Relevant records published from 1994 were identified through systematic searches of five electronic databases: EBSCO, Medline, PsychInfo, PsychArticles and ERIC. Thirty-one documents pertaining to 27 studies met the pre-specified eligibility criteria and were included for data-extraction. A narrative synthesis highlighted significant flaws in the available literature, most notably poor methodological quality and a narrow research focus with regards to age, the gender of target child and implementation methods. Nevertheless, this study reports on evidence tentatively supporting the efficacy of ASD de-stigmatisation interventions when targeting ignorance and prejudice. Although no one approach can be determined as most effective, manualised programmes combining different types of information about ASD and delivered using various mediums seem to hold the most promise.