The Effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis in Developing Academic Skills Among Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Evaluative Study in Morocco

This study aimed to evaluate the academic skills (reading, mathematics, and writing) of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are benefiting from interventions based on applied behavior analysis (ABA-based) and students with ASD who are not benefiting from ABA-based interventions in Morocco (The cities of Tetouan, M'diq, Fnideq, and Martil). The sample consisted of 112 students (56 in each group) with ASD without intellectual disability. We used Raven's Matrices to measure the level of general non-verbal intelligence, the CARS-2-HF diagnostic test to determine the degree of ASD, and then a skill measurement tool, which is the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills – Revised (The ABLLS-R®), to evaluate the academic skills of students with ASD participating in the study. The results indicated that students with ASD who used ABA-based interventions showed improvement and development in academic skills compared to students who did not use ABA-based interventions. The results showed statistically significant differences between the two groups (reading: F= 34.188, p < .001; mathematics: F= 44.308, p < .001; writing: F=13.298, p < .001), indicating that the differences are not random, but rather a result of the interventions based on applied behavior analysis. These results may give hope to students with ASD who may develop their academic skills by using ABA-based interventions instead of being integrated into educational institutions without intervention, which leads many of them to not keep up with the curriculum and levels of education.