Preschool teachers’ selection of social communication interventions for children with autism - An application of the theory of planned behavior

Oct 15, 2026

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Early Childhood Special Education teachers select instructional practices to support social communication development for children with autism spectrum disorder, yet many evidence-based practices do not transfer into routine preschool use. Using discrete choice analysis, the study tested how teachers’ beliefs grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (self-efficacy, attitude, and subjective norms) shaped selections of key evidence-based practices. A web survey of 222 teachers assessed beliefs, identified selected practices, and evaluated whether beliefs predicted selection, highlighting links between belief patterns and uptake.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Lay abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Evidence-based focused intervention practices to support social communication

Original Article Preschool teachers’ selection of social communication interventions forchildren with autism: An application of the theory of planned behavior Maria L Hugh 1,2, LeAnne D Johnson 1 and Clayton Cook 1 Autism 2022, Vol. 26(1) 188–200 © The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/13623613211024795](DOI: 10.1177/13623613211024795)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/13623613211024795)[journals.sagepub.com/home/aut](journals.sagepub.com/home/aut) Abstract Early Childhood Special Education teachers select practices to use to promote social communication development for their students with autism spectrum disorder. Understanding what evidence-based practices teachers select and why can inform the development of dissemination and implementation supports at the critical Adoption-Decision stage of implementation. The researchers used discrete choice analysis to examine and test the effects of Early Childhood Special Education teachers’ beliefs (self-efficacy, attitude, subjective norms; Theory of Planned Behavior) about key evidence-based practices on their practiceselections. To assess malleable determinants of practice selection, this study addressed these aims: (1) assess Early Childhood Special Education teachers’ beliefs (attitudes, subjective norms, and self-efficacy) about key evidence-based practices, (2) describe which evidence-based practices teachers selected, and (3) examine whether teachers’ beliefs predicted practiceselections. A web-based survey gathered responses from 222 Early Childhood Special Education teachers. Participants had the most favorable beliefs about naturalistic intervention and the least about discrete trial teaching and scripting. These beliefs aligned with the frequencies with which these practices were selected, and teachers’ beliefs predicted which practices they selected. Together, these findings suggest that beliefs serve as determinants of Early Childhood Special Education teachers’practice selections that can be acted on to tailor pre-implementation supports and improve implementation from the start. Lay abstract Preschool special educators’ are more likely to choose an educational practice to teach a young child with autism a social communication skill if they have positive beliefs about it. We asked preschool special educators to read a description of an autistic student and their social communication goal and imagine they were the student’s teacher. We then asked them to pick one of five practices to teach the student. We also asked them questions to understand their attitudes about, confidence in their ability to use, and their perception of their coworkers’ support of each practice. There are many research-based practices that a teacher could use to help children learn, and preschool teachers often make these decisions for their students. Teachers’beliefs varied in how supportive they were of each practice, and research shows people are more likely to do something that their beliefs support. In this study, they had more supportive beliefs and were more likely to use some practices, like naturalistic intervention, than other practices, like discrete trial teaching. By knowing this, researchers can help teachers use practices that their beliefs support and help change teachers’ beliefs to be supportive of a practice they may need to use. Keywords autism spectrum disorders, decision-making, early childhood special education, evidence-based practice, implementation science, teachers Introduction For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to intervention. Instead, educators choose practices to teach critical skills and support functioning for each child (Lubas et al., 2016) . Although there are a number of evidence-based practices 1 University of Minnesota, USA 2University of Washington, USA Corresponding

FAQs

What does the study examine about preschool teachers of children with autism?

It examines which evidence-based practices preschool teachers select to promote social communication and how teachers’ beliefs influence those selections.

Which Theory of Planned Behavior beliefs were measured?

The study measured self-efficacy, attitude, and subjective norms about key evidence-based practices.

How were teachers’ practice selections studied?

Responses were gathered through a web-based survey of 222 teachers, and discrete choice analysis tested how beliefs predicted which practices teachers selected.

Oct 15, 2026

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