The population with intellectual and developmental disabilities has significant issues in communication and other social skills that are critical for a good quality of life. Different pieces of training and interventions are designed for support and betterment of social and communication skills however their effects need to be evaluated.
The conducted study was a meta-analysis of single-case research design (SCRD) studies on functional communication training (FCT). What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards were used at first to evaluate each study. Effect sizes using Tau-U were calculated by the researchers. Then, we aggregated the effect sizes across the studies to produce an omnibus effect size.
The study concluded through its findings that the standards and that FCT were effective in decreasing the level of problem behavior and in increasing the level of the alternative communicative response (ACR). Yet it was not the same throughout the entire sample as the effect varied according to such factors as the type of disability and age. Furthermore, the results of visual analysis corresponded with Tau-U effect sizes in more than half of the cases. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1088357617741294
