Preschool teachers' selection of social communication interventions for children with autism: An application of the theory of planned behavior.
Preschool teachers pick naturalistic autism strategies over DTT when they feel positive, capable, and supported.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked preschool teachers what makes them pick one autism intervention over another.
They used a short survey based on the theory of planned behavior.
Teachers rated their beliefs, confidence, and how much coworkers support each method.
What they found
Teachers leaned toward naturalistic play-based strategies and away from discrete-trial drills.
The choice grew stronger when teachers felt positive, capable, and backed by peers.
How this fits with other research
Delprato (2001) already showed naturalistic language teaching beats DTT for preschoolers with autism.
That old review gives teachers a science reason to prefer the same style Pettingell et al. (2022) now report.
D'Agostino et al. (2025) add a twist: teachers like naturalistic methods but still need in-class coaching to use them right.
So the favorable view is there, yet skill follow-through lags behind.
Why it matters
You now know that teacher buy-in hinges on belief, confidence, and team support.
Share quick wins from Delprato (2001) and Ingersoll et al. (2006) to boost belief.
Pair that with hands-on coaching highlighted by D'Agostino et al. (2025) so staff can turn good intentions into good teaching.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Preschool special educators' are more likely to choose an educational practice to teach a young child with autism a social communication skill if they have positive beliefs about it. We asked preschool special educators to read a description of an autistic student and their social communication goal and imagine they were the student's teacher. We then asked them to pick one of five practices to teach the student. We also asked them questions to understand their attitudes about, confidence in their ability to use, and their perception of their coworkers' support of each practice. There are many research-based practices that a teacher could use to help children learn, and preschool teachers often make these decisions for their students. Teachers' beliefs varied in how supportive they were of each practice, and research shows people are more likely to do something that their beliefs support. In this study, they had more supportive beliefs and were more likely to use some practices, like naturalistic intervention, than other practices, like discrete trial teaching. By knowing this, researchers can help teachers use practices that their beliefs support and help change teachers' beliefs to be supportive of a practice they may need to use.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2022 · doi:10.1177/13623613211024795