The Impact of STEM Activities on Social Skills and Emotional–Behavioral Outcomes in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

TL;DR

This study shows that STEM activities can help students with autism improve their social skills and reduce emotional and behavioral issues.

Contribution

The study introduces an adaptive STEM project-based learning framework and demonstrates its effectiveness for students with ASD.

Findings

STEM activities improved social skills like cooperation, empathy, engagement, and communication in students with ASD.

Emotional and behavioral incidents decreased during the STEM intervention.

Teachers, parents, and students confirmed the effectiveness and social validity of the STEM approach.

Abstract

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often lack the social skills required for interpersonal interactions, highlighting the urgent need for evidence-based intervention programs. STEM activities that emphasize collaboration and communication offer a new pathway for social skill development. This study developed an adaptive STEM project-based learning instructional framework teaching model and employed a multiple-probe across-participant design to evaluate the participants’ social skills achievement rates and frequency of emotional and behavioral incidents. The results indicated that STEM activities exerted positive intervention effects; they effectively improved social skills (including cooperation, empathy, engagement, and communication) in students with ASD and reduced the occurrence of emotional and behavioral problems. Feedback from teachers, parents, and students further confirmed the social validity of STEM activities. Finally, recommendations for implementing STEM education among students with ASD are proposed from three perspectives: constructing interdisciplinary collaboration mechanisms, developing adaptive STEM curricula, and implementing dynamic teaching support strategies.

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