Meta-Analytic Review of Behaviour Intervention Research for Children with Autism in Sub-Saharan African Contexts

This doctoral study conducts a systematic meta-analytic review of behavioural and psychosocial intervention research for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder conducted in sub-Saharan African contexts, with a particular focus on Nigeria and surrounding countries, generating original synthesised evidence and identifying critical research gaps. The global autism intervention literature is heavily dominated by studies from North America and Western Europe, creating an evidence base that may not fully represent the effectiveness, feasibility, or cultural appropriateness of interventions for African populations. By systematically identifying, evaluating, and statistically synthesising findings from African-contextualised studies, this review generates both a calibrated estimate of intervention efficacy and a rigorous analysis of the quality, diversity, and limitations of the current research base. Following Cochrane and PRISMA systematic review protocols, the study conducts a comprehensive search across fifteen databases and grey literature sources, resulting in an initial yield of two thousand four hundred records. After screening and quality assessment using the What Works Clearinghouse standards adapted for diverse methodological designs, fifty-three studies are included in narrative and quantitative synthesis. Multilevel meta-analysis estimates effect sizes across outcome domains including social communication, adaptive behaviour, challenging behaviour, and caregiver wellbeing. Moderator analyses examine how intervention type, intensity, implementer, and study quality explain heterogeneity in effects. The study generates original synthesised evidence with direct implications for evidence-based practice in Nigerian autism education. Keywords: meta-analysis, autism intervention, sub-Saharan Africa, behaviour intervention, systematic review.