Patterns in reporting and participant inclusion related to race and ethnicity in autism intervention literature: Data from a large-scale systematic review of evidence-based practices.
Jessica R Steinbrenner, Nancy McIntyre, Lindsay F Rentschler and 8 others
PMID 35068190WHAT IT FOUND
Race and ethnicity data were reported in only 25% of autism intervention studies, and participants were heavily White.
Reporting has increased slowly over time, but minoritized groups remain significantly underrepresented in the evidence base.
Key findings
01Only 25% of the 1013 included studies reported race and ethnicity data, with group studies reporting more often (47%) than single-case designs (20%).
02Among studies that did report data, 81% included at least one White participant and 65% of all participants were White, whereas Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian participants made up only 7.7%, 9.4%, and 6.4% of the total.
03Reporting of race and ethnicity data has increased over time, averaging a 0.9% growth per year, with a faster 1.9% increase in the last five years.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review included only articles published in English, which may exclude research from non-English speaking countries and limit global applicability. The coding categories for race and ethnicity were US-centric, which may not align with how race and ethnicity are conceptualized or reported in other cultures. Approximately 78% of the included articles reported research conducted in the United States, further skewing the demographic context of the findings. Many studies used combined categories like 'Non-White' or 'Minority,' which obscures the specific representation of different racial and ethnic groups.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, and other non-profit foundations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increase in reporting over time as a sign that the evidence base is now representative. Despite the trend, only one in four studies reports race and ethnicity, and the participants who are reported on are still overwhelmingly White.