Individual and Organizational Characteristics Predicting Intervention Use for Children with Autism in Schools
Even after solid BST, school climate and staffing decide whether staff run Remaking Recess well.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors followed 62 school staff who were told to run Remaking Recess with students with autism.
Half the schools were randomly picked to get extra coach visits and peer support.
The team then tracked who actually ran the game the right way and asked why.
What they found
Staff who felt the game was "required" said they did it less well.
Staff who liked the game but felt watched did worse when experts scored them.
Rooms with enough adults, a can-do culture, and friends helping hit 80 % fidelity or better.
How this fits with other research
Slane et al. (2021) pooled 20 trials and found teacher training (BST) almost always works.
Locke’s trial shows even after BST, school context still decides final success.
Shawler et al. (2021) and Neely et al. (2022) moved BST to Zoom and kept high fidelity, proving the method travels.
Suhrheinrich (2015) used peer coaches for PRT and saw the same pattern: support beats orders.
Why it matters
You can train staff perfectly, but if the room is short-handed or the vibe is top-down, fidelity drops.
Before you roll out any autism intervention, check staffing, build a growth mindset, and let peers lead.
Frame the program as "helpful," not "required," and keep mandates light.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Several interventions have demonstrated efficacy in improving social outcomes for children with autism, but they often are not used in schools. This study examined individual and organizational factors associated with the use of a research-informed social engagement intervention, Remaking Recess, for children with autism in elementary schools. Twenty-eight school personnel from 12 schools in five districts in the northeastern USA participated. Schools were randomized to: 1) training in Remaking Recess only; or 2) training in Remaking Recess with implementation support. School personnel rated their attitudes about evidence-based practices, organizational readiness, and fidelity. Independent observers rated school personnel’s fidelity at baseline (pre-intervention training) and exit (post-intervention training). The results suggest that self-rated fidelity was lower when staff perceived the use of Remaking Recess was required; however, observer-rated fidelity was lower when staff rated Remaking Recess as appealing. In addition, self-rated fidelity was higher when there was a sufficient number of staff, positive individual growth and organizational adaptability. The results also indicated higher observer-rated fidelity when staff perceived positive influence over their coworkers. The results suggest that both individual (attitudes) and organizational (influence, staffing, growth, adaptability) characteristics may affect implementation success in schools. A collaborative decision-making approach for EBP use is recommended.
Autism, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361319895923