AAC interventions yield moderately large average effects on communication outcomes for school-aged participants with ASD and/or ID, with substantial between-study heterogeneity¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Meta-analytic average Tau across 114 studies was 0.719, indicating moderately large effects on average. → Ganz 2022 q3 i? Meta-analytic average LRR across 93 studies was 1.857, aligning with the Tau result. → Ganz 2022 (2)

Evidence¶

Ganz 2022¶

Ganz, J. B., Pustejovsky, J. E., Reichle, J., Vannest, K. J., Foster, M., Fuller, M. C., Pierson, L. M., Wattanawongwan, S., Bernal, A. J., Chen, M., Haas, A. N., Skov, R., Smith, S. D., & Yllades, V. (2022). Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention Targets for School-Aged Participants with ASD and ID: a Single-Case Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s40489-022-00326-6

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Multilevel meta-analysis of Tau effect sizes from 114 single-case studies with 330 participants and 767 effects, using cluster-robust standard errors. The article reports "The overall average Tau was 0.719" with substantial study-level heterogeneity, indicating much variation in efficacy from study to study.

"The overall average Tau was 0.719, 95% CI (0.670, 0.768), with substantial heterogeneity at the study level"

Ganz 2022 (2)¶

Ganz, J. B., Pustejovsky, J. E., Reichle, J., Vannest, K. J., Foster, M., Fuller, M. C., Pierson, L. M., Wattanawongwan, S., Bernal, A. J., Chen, M., Haas, A. N., Skov, R., Smith, S. D., & Yllades, V. (2022). Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention Targets for School-Aged Participants with ASD and ID: a Single-Case Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s40489-022-00326-6

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

LRR analysis of 93 studies across 239 participants using 516 effects, after excluding data series with near-zero baseline levels. The article reports "The overall average LRR was 1.857" with very high contrast-level heterogeneity, aligning with the Tau results.

"The overall average LRR was 1.857, 95% CI (1.581, 2.133), with substantial heterogeneity at the study level"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Under-reported participant characteristics and implementation factors, plus effect-size metric limitations, explain the scarcity of significant moderator differences — related
• Type of communication mode shows only a marginal, non-robust moderation of AAC effects, with aided AAC descriptively outperforming manual signs/gestures — related
• Aided versus unaided AAC does not statistically moderate AAC effects, though exclusive aided AAC descriptively yields the largest estimates — related
• Communicative function taught (behavioral regulation, joint attention, social interaction, or multiple) does not statistically moderate AAC effects — related
• The number of communication modes used during intervention does not statistically moderate AAC treatment effects — related
• Aided AAC interventions had large effects on targeted behavioral outcomes in individuals with ASD, per a meta-analysis of 24 single-case studies — related