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International Journal of Developmental Disabilities logoLink to International Journal of Developmental Disabilities
. 2023 Oct 13;71(4):526–533. doi: 10.1080/20473869.2023.2260209

Saudi teachers ‘knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practices to improve students with autism’ social skills

Salman Almughyiri 1,✉
PMCID: PMC12168412  PMID: 40529200

Abstract

Aim

The study aims to study teachers’ own perceptions of their applying Evidence-Based Practice (EBPs) for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to improve social skills and the differences between teachers’ reported knowledge and implementation of EBPs.

Methods

The study applied a quantitative method using a survey as a research tool. The researcher used a survey as a research instrument given the study approach. A 5-level Likert scale was used in the survey to gather numerical data. The study population encompassed male and female high school educators who work with students with ASD in Riyadh. Considering the small population size, the number of participants that completed the survey was 183 teachers out of a population of 311 in Riyadh province of KSA, 86 females, and 97 males. This implies that 59% of the population participated in the study. All the participants were teachers of students with ASD in high school.

Results

The research findings substantially contribute to the literature on the topic in multiple ways. Furthermore, the findings of the research indicate that the respondents reported above-average knowledge of EBPs for students with ASD. The data showed that the subjects had adequate levels of conceptual and theoretical foundations of EBPs and their application.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that teachers of students with ASD in Riyadh implement EBPs to teach social skills among students with ASD. The knowledge of teachers of students with ASD of EBPs is higher than their implementation, implying that teachers need to implement EBP practices more in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: autism, social skills, evidence-based practices

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that leads to insufficiencies in social interactions and communications as well as limited or delayed normal actions, activities, or interests (American Psychiatric Association 2013). The condition affects the educational attainment of learners in the process. ASD influences social skills development in children diagnosed with the condition (Atas et al. 2023). The condition is among the most common neurodevelopment disorders affecting children (Barry et al. 2020). According to Ashur and Bagadood (2022), an increase in the number of individuals diagnosed with ASD has been recorded recently. Studies indicate that the lack of social skills is largely why the average academic performance during the middle school years of students diagnosed with ASD is five times below that of their peers (Atas et al. 2023, Barry et al. 2020). Besides, the evidence suggests that teachers experience is critical in identifying and applying efficient learning practices and interventions for teaching social skills to students with ASD (Williams et al. 2021). Brock et al. (2020) suggest that enhancing awareness of effective evidence-based practice could allow teachers of students with ASD to deliver apposite social skills development practices for students with ASD. Williams et al. (2021) contends that learning social skills is integral to the personal and academic development of students with ASD. In this regard, the studies suggest that there is a need to increase awareness and knowledge among teachers to effectively identify and implement education practices explicitly tailored to enhance social skills development among students with ASD.

Social skills include the customs, rules, and abilities that guide individuals’ interactions with others. Since people tend to acquire social skills the same way they pick up a new language, it is a naturally easy process (Lukins et al. 2023, Stahmer et al. 2019). Thus, Abramczyk and Jurkowski (2020) suggest that EBPs are necessary to help students with ASD develop social skills and create a social map of how to act in different social situations. Research proposes that students with ASD need to learn how to interact with others in various social environments (Hugh et al. 2022, Mullen and Hunt 2022). According to Zhang et al. (2022), EBPs such as social narratives and scripting can help students with ASD fulfil their desire to interact socially with others by improving their knowledge and ability to make friends. The research suggests that, in some cases, the lack of social skills makes the idea of new experiences overwhelming for students with ASD (Zhang et al. 2022). According to recent examinations, developing and practicing social skills is imperative as it enhances support systems and a sense of community (Pellecchia et al. 2020). Thus, scholars such as McNeill (2019) and D’Agostino and Douglas (2021) contend that teachers of students with ASD need to focus on helping students with ASD develop social skills. Moreover, research shows that teachers have used different EBPs in recent years to help develop and reinforce social skills among students with ASD (Knight et al. 2019, Øzerk et al. 2021). The studies suggest that social skills development in autistic learning involves explicit or direct instruction with practice in realistic social setting (Maenner et al. 2020, Zervogianni et al. 2020). EBPs focusing on social skills for students with ASD also encompass supporting and enhancing communication and sensory integration.

EBPs defined as strategies that are used to enhance the life and education for students with ASD and they have been proven by scientific research (Wong et al. 2015). These practices have been experimentally tested with children diagnosed with autism, demonstrating positive outcomes in socials kills development (Hsiao and Sorensen Petersen 2019). Additionally, studies indicate that implementation of EBPs can help students with ASD overcome the resistance to changes in their daily routines, allowing them to adapt to environmental changes without disruption (Klefbeck 2023, Meza et al. 2019). Furthermore, a study by Wilcox et al. (2021) claims that EBPs such as structured group play can help improve social relationships and learning activities with peers in students with ASD as it enhances their understanding of social cues.

Research has demonstrated that EBP can enhance fundamental academic, social, and communication skills, thus facilitating the learning process for students with ASD (Sam et al. 2021). According to Kakkar and Tanu (2019), research has shown that video modelling is an effective EBP that uses video recordings and equipment to promote the development of a targeted skill of behavior. A study by Baker-Ericzén et al. (2022), promoted a similar idea by highlighting the effectiveness of social narratives as an EBP that helps in the development of social skills in students with ASD by describing social situations and highlighting revenant cues.

Kasari et al. (2021) suggest that social narratives are one of the most important EBPs that can help students with ASD develop social skills. Teachers use social narratives to help students with ASD develop a perspective on emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of others. According to McKeithan et al. (2021), social narratives help students with ASD predict the actions of others, they may otherwise not understand. Kasari et al. (2021) also highlight video modelling as an effective EBP. Students with ASD watch videos depicting certain behavior and try to emulate the behavior. The goal is to help the student develop the skill or behavior and practice it in a different setting without having to watch the video first.

According to Berenguer et al. (2020), numerous nations, including the UK and the USA, have taken on the possibility that teaching methods utilized by teachers of students with ASD are best supported with public resources if they incorporate evidence-based practices. One justification for this reception of EBPs could be on the grounds that various evidence-based practices have been demonstrated compelling by research guidelines that can be reproduced while working with students with special needs (Leifler et al. 2022, Gardner et al. 2021). The benefit of utilizing EBPs for social development among students with ASD is a key hypothetical in this study. Bolourian et al. (2022) argues that teacher education readiness programs across the Kingdom have embraced EBPs and report that they have completely coordinated those goals into the majority of the special education programs that focus on social skills development in students with ASD. However, only a few studies have been completed in Saudi Arabia, beginning from the introduction and implementation of EBPs into the educational framework for social skills development in students with ASD (Meindl et al. 2020). Filling the gap in literature can enhance knowledge on EBPs for students with ASD in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and promote the development of appropriate learning practices to promote their social skills. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to investigate educators’ points of view about implementation of EBPs for social skills development among school-aged students with ASD in Saudi Arabia. Besides, the study aims to relay a more profound comprehension of current practices that teachers are utilizing with students with ASD.

The study was based on the following questions:

  • From educators’ perceptions, what is the level of implementation of EBPs for students with ASD in KSA?

  • What is the extent of the differences between teachers’ own perceptions of on their knowledge and implementation of EBPs?

  • Are there any statistically significant differences in teachers’ own perceptions of their in level of implementation and knowledge of EBPs for students with ASD according to teachers’ gender, educational levels, and teaching experience?

Methodology

The study applied a quantitative method using a survey as a research tool. It is an appropriate methodology when exploring and describing natural and social phenomena (Bauer et al. 2021). The methodology is implemented by using surveys to gather data that answers the research question, analyzing the information, and relaying the results quantitatively (Moraga et al. 2020).

Instrument

The researcher used a survey as a research instrument given the study’s approach. The survey selected for the research was relevant to the study as it is primarily known for EBPs as well as practices listed by NSTTAC (2020). The researcher developed a survey based of the research question and literature review. The main studies that were reviewed Lukins et al. (2023), Alatifi et al. (2023), NSTTAC (2020), Almalky and Alrasheed (2023), and Buntins et al. (2021). The survey had two major parts. The first one comprised question that collected demographic information such as gender, level of education, and years of experience as teachers. The second section of the survey contained a list of 16 EBPs that are designed for teaching students with ASD. The questions attached to the practices were purposed to yield information on knowledge and use of the EBPs in teaching social skills to students with ASD. The study inquired about 16 EBPs designed for students with ASD. The goal was to understand the research question from the participants’ perspective. A 5-level Likert scale was used in the survey to gather numerical data. Table 1 highlights the scale categories in the Likert scale obtained by calculating the range (5–1 = 4) and then dividing it by the largest value in the scale to obtain the range’s length.

Table 1.

Determining the categories of the 5-point scale used in the survey.

Verbal Scale Very low Low Average High Very high
Quantitative scale 1 2 3 4 5
Level of Implementation          
Range of means <1.7 1.7-2.5 2.5-3.3 3.3-4.1 >4.1
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Validity and Reliability

Validity

Face validity

Following the preparation of the survey that examined the application of EBPs for students with ASD from their educators’ viewpoints, it was presented to 11 special educators that specialize with ASD to review and offer their opinions. Experts were asked to provide feedback related to the clarity of statements, the extent to which they serve the purpose of the study, and whether they suit the field to which they belong. Also, the experts provided feedback regarding the comprehensiveness of the survey. The survey questions were improved following the feedback.

Internal validity and consistency

Once the study tool’s validity was confirmed, it was mailed to the respondents. The researcher calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient to establish its internal validity. The correlation coefficient between two variables, the total grade of the domain, and the grade of each item in the study tool was calculated. A total of 183 respondents took part in the survey after 12 of them were eliminated. Table 2 highlights the correlation coefficients between the survey’s whole domain and items at a significance level of 0.01, which indicates that the survey has high internal validity.

Table 2.

The correlation coefficients between the items and the domain the survey as a whole.

Item Correlation coefficient Item Correlation coefficient Item Correlation coefficient
1 0.696** 11 0.784** 21 0.685**
2 0.756** 12 0.696** 22 0.682**
3 0.745** 13 0.536**    
4 0.686** 14 0.676**    
5 0.782** 15 0.773**    
6 0.783** 16 0.754**    
7 0.729** 17 0.693**    
8 0.735** 18 0.710**    
9 0.758** 19 0.748**    
10 0.692** 20 0.717**    
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**

for a significance level of (0.01).

Reliability

Following data collection, the study process moved to measure the study tool’s reliability by calculating the survey’s overall consistency and Cronbach’s alpha consistency coefficient for the domain (see Table 3). The calculations show that the survey has a strong consistency coefficient of (0.88). The value lies within the 0.80–0.89 range, classifying it as a good consistency coefficient.

Table 3.

The consistency coefficients of the survey.

Consistency coefficient Value
Cronbach’s alpha consistency coefficient 0.88
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Participants

The research population encompassed teachers who work with students with ASD in Riyadh. The study population was selected using a stratified sampling technique. The process involves dividing the population into subgroups that may differ in significant ways. Moreover, the sampling technique guaranteed that the research encompassed and properly represented every subgroup relevant to the study. For instance, it was critical to represent male and female teachers, those at bachelor’s and graduate education levels, as well as those with less and more than ten years teaching experience. Considering the small population size, the number of participants that completed the survey was 183 teachers of students with ASD out of a population of 311 in Riyadh province of KSA, 86 females, and 97 males. This implies that 59% of the population participated in the study. Table 4 highlights the demographic information of the population sample. All the participants were teachers of students with ASD in high school.

Table 4.

Characteristics of study sample.

Category Frequencies Percentage
Gender    
Male Teachers 97 53.1%
Female Teachers 86 46.9%
Qualification    
Bachelor’s degree 150 81.9%
Graduate 33 18.1%
Years of Experience    
Less than 10 years 76 41.5%
More than 10 years 107 58.5%
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Data collection and analysis

The survey was conducted following several steps. The first phase involved obtaining official approval from the Riyadh Education Department to apply the tool to the teachers working with students with ASD in Riyadh province. The second step involved contacting the school principals to access volunteer teachers as participants and get their emails through which they can read about the purpose of the research and provide informed consent to participate. Acquiring informed consent is critical to any data collection process involving human subjects (Moraga et al. 2020). The goal is to provide respondents with adequate information about the nature and purpose of the study and the procedures to be used in the process. It also explains the potential benefits and risks of the research to allow the sample population to make an informed consent on whether to voluntarily participate. The survey link was sent to participants via email. The participants were adequately informed about the study and that their participation was voluntary. The email also outlined the benefits and risks of participation and explained that the participants’ data was confidential and that they had the right to withdraw from the process at any point without any repercussions. The data collection process lasted roughly four weeks. The survey data was fed into a computer and analyzed via SPSS software. The results were extracted, assessed, and interpreted.

Results

The level of implementation of EBPs

Means and standard deviations (SD) were obtained using descriptive statistics. The means showed the differences in respondents’ perspectives on EBP in improving social skills among students with ASD. The SD represents accurate values in determining the extent of the participant’s responses. Table 5 highlights the means and SDs of the survey items. The domain for the level of implementation is 22 items. The arithmetic mean of the data was 3.67, with a standard deviation of 0.81. The data relay that teachers implement EBPs for students with ASD at a high level. Moreover, the data shows an average to high range of the level of practice implementation.

Table 5.

The means and SD of the survey answers, sorted in descending order for each item of the survey.

EBPs Knowledge
 Implementation
  M SD M SD
Cognitive behavioral intervention 3.18 0.771 2.00 0.790
Functional behavior assessment 3.22 0.780 2.98 0.869
Functional communication training 3.12 0.840 2.87 0.960
Peer-mediated instruction 3.38 0.744 2.69 0.932
Picture exchange communication 3.41 0.743 3.09 0.935
Reinforcements 3.71 0.508 3.66 0.540
Social narratives 3.20 0.836 2.70 0.956
Social skills training 3.33 0.763 3.08 0.902
Structured group play 3.24 0.822 2.88 0.933
Task analysis 3.45 0.701 3.27 0.822
Video modeling 3.34 0.775 2.86 0.745
Time delay 3.07 0.875 2.82 0.743
Visual support 3.62 0.802 3.01 0.891
Technology aided instruction 3.81 0.810 2.93 0.887
Scripting 3.97 0.735 3.21 0.870
Prompting 3.24 0.811 2.76 0.675
  3.39 0.770 2.92 0.871
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The differences in teachers’ reported knowledge and implementation of EBP

The mean of EBPs knowledge among teachers that deal with students is high (3.39) and an SD rate of (0.770) as shown in Table 5. The data also indicates that sample responses have a good level of consistency since the use of EBPs is high among the items measured in the study. Social narratives ranked the one of the high of EBPs applied in teaching students with ASD in Saudi Arabia. Table 5 highlights social skills training, video modelling, cognitive behavioral interventions, and visual support as the other highly used EBPs in teaching students with ASD. The teachers had an above average knowledge of most of the EBPs included in the study. Despite their knowledge of the practices, the use of time delay, reinforcements, and prompting were low among the respondents.

Statistically significant differences in the level of EBP implementation and knowledge for students with ASD based on teachers’ gender, educational level, and teaching experience

Table 6 shows that there are no statistically significant differences between responses about the knowledge of EBPs and the level of implementation for students with ASD at the significance level of 0.05 or less. The data suggests that while the knowledge of EBPs is slightly higher than the level of implementation, the difference is not statistically significant. Most of the respondents reported high implementation in 12 out of the 16 EBPs included in the study.

Table 6.

The independent samples t-test for the responses of male and female teachers, concerning the gender variable.

Gender Sample size Mean SD T-value Degree of freedom P-value
Male teachers 97 3.45 0.75 0.657 182 0.482
Female teachers 86 3.39 0.63      
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Table 7 shows that there are no statistically significant differences between the level of implementation of EBPs of male and female educators with regard to their academic qualifications. The results were determined following an independent samples t-test. The findings indicate that the difference in knowledge and use of EBPs to teach social skills to students with ASD between male and female teachers based on their level of education is considerably small.

Table 7.

The independent samples t-test for the responses of male and female teachers, concerning the education qualification variable.

Qualification Sample size Mean SD T-value Degree of freedom P-value
Bachelor’s 150 3.23 0.79 0.997 182 0.225
Graduate 33 3.49 0.68      
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The results in Table 8 show that there are no statistically significant differences between teachers and the implementation of EBP according to their years of experience. Teachers with more than ten years of experience were more likely to implement EBPs in teaching social skills to students with ASD than their colleagues with a decade or less of experience.

Table 8.

The independent samples t-test for the male and female teachers’ responses concerning the years of experience variable.

Experience Sample size Mean SD T-value Degree of freedom P-value
10 years and less 76 3.19 0.86 3.219 182 0.001*
Over 10 years 107 3.67 0.68      
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Discussion

The study’s primary goal was to investigate Saudi teachers’ points of view on applying EBPs for students with ASD to work on their social skills. As the outcomes show, there is a dissimilarity in the middling feedback of the subjects to the degree of application of EBPs for students with ASD. The findings show that the mean for the items in this purview was somewhere in the range of 3.19 and 3.67 out of 5. The means fall within the third and fourth levels of the five-point Likert scale, implying that the participants’ retorts with regard to the items in this purview were between average and high. Thus, the findings indicate that the EBPs implementation level for students with ASD was primarily high, with an average of 3.67. These promising outcomes exhibited an enhancement in the application in comparison to what past examinations showed (Lukins et al. 2023). The recent attention afforded to students with ASD can be used to explain the progress in implementation. The improvement can also be attributed to the availability and accessibility of training workshops and courses for educators on applying the best EBPs for social skills improvement. Nevertheless, continuous EBP training is still necessary to guarantee that educators have the strategies and knowledge they need to successfully roll out EBP practices. Besides, it is critical for higher education institutions to consider consolidating EBPs in their teacher training courses.

The findings of the study substantially contribute to the literature on the topic in multiple ways. The responses highlight social narratives and social skills training as the most used EBPs to teach social skills to students with ASD. The practices had the highest agreement rates among the subjects, indicating that teachers prioritized teaching social skills to students with ASD since it was integral to their overall social and academic performance. The findings reiterate the argument by McNeill (2019) that teachers utilize and social skills training in social skills instructions. Besides, intriguing discoveries that peer-help methodologies, for example, peer intervened guidance while teaching students scholastic skills, scored high, affirming the significance of utilizing these schemes in students with ASD’s instruction. This advances instruction for students with ASD, integrating them into the learning environment. The finding agrees with the research conducted by Alatifi et al. (2023), which acknowledged that educators often apply cooperative learning and peer instruction while teaching social skills.

Furthermore, the findings of the research indicate that the respondents reported above-average knowledge of EBPs for students with ASD. The data showed that the subjects had adequate levels of conceptual and theoretical foundations of EBPs and their application. Thus, the findings imply that teachers in KSA receive pre- and in-service specialized development training programs. The knowledge gathered through this training is adequately translated into practice. As also noted in Meindl et al. 2020, educators’ self-perceived understanding and utilization of EBPs may not necessarily align with precise knowledge and correct utilization.

Insights from the study respondents were likened based on individual experiences teaching social skills to students with ASD. The correlations uncovered that the teaching experiences have little to no influence on the reported knowledge of EBPs. On the other hand, they influence reported utilization of EBPs as educators with over ten years of experience reported utilizing more EBPs than their less experienced counterparts. The finding aligns with a study by Leifler et al. (2022) which showed that experience might not enhance an educator’s EBPs knowledge since they might have received inadequate information on the topic. Nevertheless, the experience might assist teachers with utilizing EBPs when working with students with ASD since experienced educators have attempted enrolling different EBPs numerous times, gaining additional skills and confidence. Less experienced educators have less skills and confidence compared to their more experienced counterparts.

Knowledge of EBPs was related to the reported use of the practices from Saudi teachers’ perspectives. The findings of the study show that the knowledge of teachers of students with ASD of EBPs is higher than their implementation. The finding is consistent with research from Zhang et al. (2022) who suggest that teachers’ EBPs knowledge influence their use of the practices in learning settings. Besides, the finding implies that teachers prefer to use familiar practices. For instance, the findings suggest that teachers with more than ten years of experience working with students with ASD applied EBPs more than their less experienced colleagues. This implies that experienced teachers are more familiar with EBPs and have attempted to implemented them multiple times, giving them the familiarity and confidence necessary to practice them more often.

Strengths and limitations

A major strong point of the study is that it adds to the literature on the implementation of EBPs in teaching social skills to students with ASD. The study draws from the need to enhance social skills among students with ASD and presents a distinctive exploration into the implementation of EBPs by teachers. The findings contribute to the universal tool that teachers can use to enhance social skills and academic attainment within the students with ASD Riyadh population in Saudi Arabia.

The study has several limitations, including the use of a web-based survey. Some teachers with potentially valuable insight might miss out on the study if they fail to check their emails. However, the response rate of the study was acceptable. The sample used in the study was also drawn primarily from Riyadh. Although it is the one of largest province in KSA, it still limits results generalization across the entire nation.

Implications for practice

The research explores the application of EBPs for students with ASD to acquire social skills. According to the findings, More efforts are required to influence teachers who have ten-year experience and less to implement EBPs to teach social skills to students with ASD (Sam et al. 2021). The study also suggests the policymakers in Saudi Arabia to enact laws that promote the implementation of EBPs in teaching students with ASD. The findings highlight a string positive correlation between knowledge and use of EBPs. Thus, enhancing educators’ knowledge on the subject and the use of EBPs in practical settings for the development of social skills among students with ASD could be critical to promoting the quality of Saudi Arabia’s education system. The practice might involve the inclusion of different EBPs programs for teachers and how they can apply them in the classroom setting (Klefbeck 2023). Courses tailored to help teachers acquire knowledge and understand the use of EBPs in the classroom are critical (McKeithan et al. 2021). The feedback gathered from the process used to reinforce and support the implementation of EBPs for social skills development among students with ASD.

Directions for future studies

While research on EBPs implementation in teaching students with ASD has increased in recent years, further studies are necessary to explore how EBPs can be used to assist students with ASD in areas other than their social skills. Besides, it is essential to establish the related factors and challenges that influence the implementation of EBPs in students with ASD (Hsiao and Sorensen Petersen 2019). Exploring the research question using qualitative, experimental approaches and practice-oriented research can also provide alternative views that can enhance EBP implementation (Kasari et al. 2021).

Conclusion

The research is among the few studies that examine the perception of teachers of students with ASD in social skills development among students with ASD in Saudi Arabia. The findings highlight a satisfactory level of knowledge on EBPs among teachers. The findings suggest that teachers in Riyadh implement EBPs to teach social skills among students with ASD. The findings also show the different perspectives and priorities among teachers dealing with students with ASD. Teachers prioritize teaching social skills to students with ASD since it was integral to their overall social and academic performance (Hugh et al. 2022).

Funding Statement

This study is supported via funding from Prince sattam bin Abdulaziz University project number (PSAU/2023/R/1444).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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