Sportsmanship Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Systematic Literature Review

This systematic review summarizes and analyzes the literature on sportsmanship interventions for individuals with autism. Electronic database searches (i.e., PsycNet, ERIC) and ancestral searches were conducted to find relevant articles. Twenty-eight studies were included in this study that used experimental designs that targeted sportsmanship behaviors. The results were summarized across participants, targeted behaviors, settings, interventions, and methodological rigor of the included studies. Although most studies reported positive outcomes on the targeted social-communication behaviors, methodological limitations should be considered when interpreting the results. Limitations of this review and implications for future research are discussed.