The use of Precision Teaching as an intervention for improving the skill acquisition of children with autism

This paper evaluates literature surrounding the effectiveness of Precision Teaching (PT) for improving the skill acquisition of children with autism. PT's aim is the attainment of behavioural fluency across educational and social contexts, as well as potentiality to enhance the learning of pupils with autism. This review evaluates the existing literature in which PT interventions have been implemented to improve the skill acquisition of children with autism. Relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria include: peer-reviewed articles written in English after 2005, participants being children aged two to 12 with a diagnosis of autism; and PT used as an intervention to improve performance of a directly observable skill with use of pre- and post-intervention data. Results indicated that PT may effectively increase a variety of component skills for children with autism; including emotion identification, storytelling, sight word reading, foundational motor skills, and intraverbal responding. Recommendations for teaching and learning for children with autism and implications for educational psychology practice are posited.