A review of the literature on vocational training interventions with individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Campanaro et al. (2021) read 53 experiments about job training for people with autism.

They looked for the most common ways teachers helped clients learn work skills.

The team did not run new sessions; they summarized what others already tested.

Video modeling, BST, feedback, and video prompting showed up again and again.

These four tactics were the stars of the vocational training stories.

McLucas et al. (2024) took the top tactic—video modeling plus feedback—and tried it with three autistic teens. The teens learned workplace social skills fast, but they still needed extra help to use the skills with new bosses or in new places.

Grob et al. (2019) used the second most-cited tactic—BST—to teach job social skills to three autistic adults. The adults mastered the skills, yet each skill had to be taught one by one; generalization did not spill over.

Keenan et al. (2021) plan to pool all video-based studies for kids with autism. Their future numbers will tell us how strong the effect really is, moving beyond the story Campanaro et al. (2021) started.

If you write a vocational program today, start with video modeling or BST—those have the most proof. Build in extra generalization probes from the start, because the newer studies show skills may not transfer on their own. Pick one tactic, track the data, and add supports until the skill sticks across people and places.