Culturally adapted interventions for students with autism: A systematic review.

Abstract

Culturally adapted interventions have been shown to improve skills in culturally and linguistically diverse youth diagnosed with autism, improving the outcomes of minoritized youth and families. Despite an increase in early diagnosis of autism among racial-ethnic youth in the past few years, access to culturally adapted interventions for persons on the autism spectrum remains unexamined. The current systematic review examines the cultural adaptations of social skills, socioemotional skills, and behavioral management interventions for youth and families with a diagnosis of autism (age = 24 months-18 years). Fifteen peer-reviewed studies were obtained from three electronic databases. The Ecological Validity Model guidelines were used to determine the extent to which cultural adaptations were made. All of the studies included cultural adaptation, whether on a surface or deep structured level using a targeted or tailored approach. Aligned with previous findings, the literature surrounding cultural adaptation is scarce. However, this systematic review provides evidence of cultural adaptive interventions that have considered cultural needs to improve the skills, engagement, and feasibility for minoritized youth with autism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).