A Systematic Review of Environmental Structuring Interventions for Autistic Individuals

Abstract

This systematic review synthesized 58 intervention studies across 57 articles to examine how environmental structuring interventions for autistic individuals have been conducted. Most interventions were conducted in K–12 and separate settings, with visual schedules as the most commonly implemented strategy. Interventionist characteristics were often incompletely reported. Risks of performance and detection bias were high, largely due to inadequate masking of personnel. Single-case studies primarily assessed immediate functional outcomes (e.g., on-task behavior), whereas group-design studies examined broader developmental outcomes, often with limited psychometric rigor. Fewer than half of the studies evaluated social validity; autistic perspectives were frequently absent. This review suggests that environmental structuring is a developing area of autism intervention research that has largely examined visual, spatial, and sensory-related supports through observable behavioral and developmental outcomes. Future research should build on this literature by using rigorous methods that more fully represent autistic perspectives and examine outcomes related to accessibility and well-being across a variety of settings.