The feasibility of implementing autism intervention methods in formal education settings welcoming refugee and asylum-seeking children: A systematic review of the literature.

Researchers looked at whether teaching methods designed for autistic children could help refugee children adapt to new schools. While no studies had tried this before, they found some evidence suggesting these structured teaching approaches might be helpful. Schools are important places for refugee children to learn and adapt, so using proven teaching methods from autism support could potentially benefit them.

This systematic review explored whether autism intervention methods (TEACCH, PECS, and PMI) could be adapted for use with refugee and asylum-seeking children in school settings to support their adaptation. While no previous studies were found that directly implemented these ASD interventions with refugee populations, the review identified 21 records providing preliminary evidence supporting this concept. The authors hypothesized potential strengths and limitations of transferring these structured, visual, and communication-focused interventions to help newly arrived refugee children adapt to their school environments, highlighting schools as crucial settings for supporting these vulnerable populations.

This research identifies a novel approach for supporting refugee children's school adaptation through structured interventions originally designed for autism. While promising in theory, empirical studies are needed to evaluate effectiveness, cultural appropriateness, and implementation feasibility before clinical application.

The review found no direct evidence from studies implementing ASD interventions with refugee populations. Findings are based on preliminary evidence and theoretical considerations rather than empirical evaluation of effectiveness with the target population.

Given the significant amount of time that refugee and asylum-seeking children (RASC) spend in schools, these institutions play an important role in their lives and represent an ideal environment in which to help them to adapt to their host society. The present study aimed to draw attention to the possibility of transferring intervention methods designed for children with ASD to formal education settings welcoming newly arrived RASC to support their adaptation to their new school environment. For this purpose, a systematic review was undertaken to assess the feasibility of implementing three specific ASD intervention methods (i.e., TEACCH, PECS, and PMI) in schools welcoming RASC. While the review did not reveal previous attempts to implement and evaluate ASD intervention methods with newcomer RASC, 21 records were uncovered providing preliminary evidence in support of this idea.

Hypothesized strengths and limitations, as well as considerations about implementation, are discussed.