The Demographics of Autistic Individuals in Social Communication Evidence-Based Practice: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Social communication, like all inter-human behaviors, are highly affected by an individual’s intersectional identities and memberships of diverse communities. The current systematic literature review investigated the reporting practices of participant demographics and the extent to which under-represented autistic groups were included in social communication intervention studies in the 2020 National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice report. Results show inconsistencies and gaps in reporting participant variables as well as a general lack of representation of diverse autistic communities in social communication intervention research. The results highlight the limitations of current racial categories and considerations for complex intersectional identities. Recommendations for future researchers are also discussed.