The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has released a new paper reviewing the evidence base for classroom practices that support learning outcomes for neurodivergent students, including the effectiveness of explicit teaching for Autistic students.
The new discussion paper Teaching practices to support Autistic students and students with ADHD, examines 53 studies spanning more than a decade to identify where evidence for a range of teaching strategies is strongest, where it is limited, and where significant knowledge gaps remain.
It revealed an uneven and under-developed evidence base with many studies examining multiple practices together, making it difficult to isolate the effects of individual approaches. This is particularly the case for classroom-based approaches for students with ADHD.
Within these limitations, the paper found evidence supporting the use of explicit teaching with Autistic students, and some evidence suggesting that practices such as feedback, peer-assisted learning, rules and routines, use of visual supports, use of environmental adaptations and use of technology, often used in combination with each other, can support learning.
Effectiveness, AERO said, depended on adjustments being made to frequency, duration and intensity to suit individual needs.
For students with ADHD, the available classroom-based evidence was particularly limited. A small number of studies provided emerging evidence for practices such as feedback and explicit teaching, with most findings relating to engagement and classroom participation, rather than direct academic achievement.
There was limited evidence for the effectiveness of peer-assisted learning, and a lack of data on the effectiveness of rules and routines, use of visual supports, use of environmental adaptations and use of technology, AERO said.
There was also an absence of available research on First Nations Autistic students and First Nations students with ADHD, “highlighting the need for future, co-designed research in this space”.
AERO CEO Dr Jenny Donovan said the new paper underlined the importance of building the evidence base for teaching practices to support neurodivergent students.
“Inclusivity is a cornerstone of high-quality teaching, and it’s important that we support teachers with evidence-based guidance on how to help neurodivergent students thrive,” she said.
“This review tells us that much more research is needed to give us a clear picture of what works in the classroom.”
Dr Donovan said while there were some clearer findings for Autistic students, particularly around explicit teaching, there were still significant gaps in research, especially for students with ADHD and First Nations students.
“Recognising these limits is a key finding of the paper and it points to where future research and evidence-building efforts should be focused,” she said.
“AERO’s ongoing work, including a national teacher survey and targeted fieldwork, will help begin to address these gaps and support the development of future guidance for educators.”
