A systematic review of studies on online education for autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak caused a paradigm change in education and made it necessary to conduct educational activities through online learning environments (OLEs). This sudden shift also affected special education practices for learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study aims to investigate the current issues in online education studies relating to individuals with or involved with (i.e., parents or teachers) ASD. For this purpose, a literature search was carried out to review the relevant studies conducted from 2010 to 2019, and 19 studies were selected based on predefined research criteria. Content analysis was performed to analyze the reviewed articles considering the following domains: publication year, country, field, purpose, research methods, instruments, results, and suggestions. Results indicated that the publication rates of studies pertaining to individuals with ASD, their parents and teachers increased after 2014, and although OLEs are found to be beneficial in meeting the needs of the target group, several improvements are needed to make them more useful and adaptable.