USING THE POWER CARD STRATEGY TO INCREASE SOCIAL SKILLS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

This systematic review of the literature examined the effectiveness of the Power Card strategy to increase social skills in studies conducted with individuals with autism and other intellectual disabilities. Database searches conducted identified 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria with a total of 30 participants who had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or an intellectual disability (IDD). The majority of the Power Card studies (n= 7) targeted social skills, while other targeted skills include direction following, on-task behaviors, latency to teacher cues, executive functioning, and personal space. All 12 studies were reviewed and analyzed for their intervention procedures such as the use of a scenario card, access to the Power Card after reading, if a functional behavior assessment (FBA) was completed, and how the special interest item (SIA) was chosen. Results of the review highlight the need for more research to evaluate which steps of the Power Card strategy are most effective, the need for a greater variety of target behaviors, and the need to focus on the maintenance and generalization of skills learned via the Power Card strategy. Relevant suggestions for future research and practice are discussed.