Creative arts educational practices with autistic students in secondary schools: A convergent integrated mixed-method systematic review

Literature exploring how successfully creative arts-based educational practices (CAEPs) are used with autistic students depicts a positive picture. However, findings are disjointed and appear to have been framed by an ableist corrective ideology. This mixed-methods systematic review applies a neurodiversity affirmative paradigm to frame evidence on the nature of CAEPs, stakeholders’ perceptions of CAEPs, and CAEP outcomes, when CAEPs are used with autistic students in secondary schools. In total, 15 qualitative, 6 quantitative and 3 mixed methods reports were identified and included in the convergent integrated qualitative synthesis, resulting in four integrated findings: (1) perceptions of autism, (2) the nature of CAEPs, (3) CAEP outcomes, and (4) barriers and facilitators. These findings will be contextualised in a discussion of the conflicts that arose during the quality appraisal process, the potential biases and the paradigmatic framing of the included reports, and the numerous gaps in research that remain.