The Art of Selection: Understanding Teachers’ Intervention Choices for Preschool Autistic Students

Multiple reviews of research establish evidence-based practices that practitioners may use to support autistic children. Unfortunately, there is sometimes low adoption of these practices, and many teachers report that identifying and selecting appropriate practices for their students is a challenge. Decision-making guides informed by implementation theories and end-user considerations are needed. To identify factors that can be embedded into a decision-making guide, we asked 312 early childhood special education teachers to select and justify an evidence-based practice to support a young autistic child with a social-communication goal. Using quantitative analysis of qualitative data and thematic analysis, we explored factors that influence evidence-based practice selection. Educators most often reported intervention factors as a rationale for their selection and evaluations of interventions were frequently shaped by personal values and beliefs. Additionally, participants demonstrated a nuanced understanding of evidence-based practices and engaged in a complex and multifaceted decision-making process when selecting interventions. Implications for policy and practice include training future and current teachers to select appropriate interventions given different students and contexts and conducting research that evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and adaptability of evidence-based practices.