Least-to-Most Prompting in Teaching Social Interaction and Communication Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

Introduction: The purpose of this review was to examine the demographic, methodological and outcome measures of the studies using least-to-most prompting (LTM) to teach social interaction and communication skills to the individuals with ASD. Method: Following a thorough literature search in four online databases (EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Jstor and SAGE) using multiple search terms, we identified 388 studies. From this identification, 35 empirical studies qualified for the inclusion criteria as follows: (a) including participants with autism, (b) using LTM, (c) employing a single-subject research design, (d) targeting at least one social communication or interaction skill, (e) publication between January 2003 and May 2020, (f) publication in a Turkish and/or English peer-reviewed journal. Findings: Review of the treatment literature suggests that LTM is an effective method for the individuals with ASD who differ in age and gender to acquire the skills. Discussion: Suggestions for further research are provided.