A scoping review of the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of interventions in autism education

Background: Evidence-based practices (EBPs) have been associated with improved outcomes for individuals with Autism (Eldevik et al., 2009). However, school personnel have been found to implement classroom practices that have little scientific support (Hess et al., 2008). Factors that may affect implementation of EBPs have been theorised to include staff training and buy-in (Forman et al., 2009), however, these factors have not yet been delineated in the autism education setting. This study aims to synthesise and analyse the extant literature related to the barriers and facilitators of implementing EBPs in autism education using a multi-level framework (Domitrovich et al., 2008) examining macro, school and individual factors of implementation. Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Scoping review guidelines were followed to complete the current scoping review. Papers were extracted from the following databases: PsycInfo, Academic Search Complete, ERIC and Education Source. A total of 4,682 papers were returned and screened by abstract and title. Forty-nine papers were included for full text review. From these, six qualitative studies and one mixed-methods study were included for data synthesis and analysis. Results: Included studies found evidence for barriers and facilitators at the macro, school, and individual level (Domitrovich et al., 2008). Key barriers included resources, time, and intervention characteristics. Conclusions: The barriers and facilitators in the implementation of autism EBPs by school personnel remain poorly understood. This review provides an overview of the extant literature; however, further rigorous research is needed in this area.