Can Characteristics of the Physical Environment Impact Engagement in Learning Activities in Children with Autism? A Systematic Review

Physical aspects of the environment (e.g. lighting, background noise) can impact engagement with tasks in individuals with autism, particularly within education settings. However, whether modifying the aspects of the physical environment improves engagement with tasks has received little attention. This systematic review is the first to explore the impact of modifications to the design of the physical environment on task engagement in individuals with autism. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Most included studies ( n = 8) were single-subject experimental designs that investigated different environmental modifications (e.g. lighting, background noise, or seating), limiting the generalisability of results. To better determine whether physical environmental modifications benefit task engagement in individuals with autism, more high-quality evidence is required. Such evidence includes more quality single-subject designs focused on the same manipulation to better inform future controlled experiments and randomised controlled trials.