Autism Spectrum Disorder and Social Story Research: a Scoping Study of Published, Peer-Reviewed Literature Reviews

Social Stories (SS) is a widely used intervention for children on the autism spectrum. A search of databases (CINAH EBSCO, A+Eductaion, ERIC, Education Source, PsyINFO, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and ABI Inform Global) identified that, since its development over 25 years ago, the research exploring SS has been reviewed 17 times. These reviews include synthesis of literature; systematic reviews, meta-analyses; comparative reviews; and descriptive reviews. A scoping review of these 17 literature reviews identified 5 major themes: (1) research design of SS studies, (2) effectiveness of SS, (3) factors influencing outcomes of SSs, (4) social validity of SS interventions, and (5) maintenance and generalisation of SS outcomes. Future recommendations related to SS research were also identified.