The effects of social story interventions on individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and influencing factors: a meta-analysis of single-case experimental studies

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the overall effectiveness of Social Story interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to examine the moderating effects of key participant and intervention characteristics.MethodA meta-analysis of 21 single-case experimental design studies, encompassing data from 61 participants with ASD, was conducted. The overall effect size and moderator analyses were calculated using the Tau-U index.ResultThe aggregated analysis revealed a moderate overall effect (Tau-U = 0.743). Moderator analyses indicated that the intervention was most effective for school-aged children (7, 12 years). Significant positive effects were found for improving social skills, safety skills, and reducing problem behaviors, but not for classroom adaptive skills. While digital formats yielded a slightly higher effect size than paper-based versions, this difference was not statistically significant. The intervention effect was not significantly moderated by the implementer's identity (therapist, teacher, parent, or researcher) or participant gender.ConclusionSocial Story interventions are an efficacious approach with moderate overall effects for individuals with ASD, particularly school-aged children and for specific skill domains. The findings support the flexibility of implementation across various agents. Future research should expand sample diversity, investigate the integration of emerging technologies, and focus on enhancing the long-term maintenance and generalization of outcomes.