Cala Luna by Little Lynx StudiosResearch · library
Research library: social stories, video modelling and children's media
Every study we draw on, with its design, what it found and its limits. Links go to the original paper.
Social stories
| Study | Design | What it found | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray, C. A., & Garand, J. D. (1993). Social stories: Improving responses of students with autism with accurate social information. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 8(1), 1–10. | Method paper | Introduces social stories as a way to give autistic pupils accurate social information. | Describes the method; not an outcome study. |
| Reynhout, G., & Carter, M. (2006). Social Stories™ for children with disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(4), 445–469. doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0086-1 | Review of published studies | Effects highly variable across children and studies. | Many studies combined stories with other supports. |
| Kokina, A., & Kern, L. (2010). Social Story™ interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(7), 812–826. doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0931-0 | Meta-analysis, 18 single-case studies | Average PND 60% (questionable overall). Stronger for reducing one behaviour; better when read shortly before, single behaviour, brief, comprehension checks, child or teacher delivers. | Small samples; overlap statistics only. |
| Qi, C. H., Barton, E. E., Collier, M., Lin, Y.-L., & Montoya, C. (2018). A systematic review of effects of social stories interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 33(1), 25–34. doi.org/10.1177/1088357615613516 | Systematic review, 22 single-case studies | By visual analysis: 5% strong, 27% moderate, 68% weak evidence. Strong for reducing inappropriate behaviour; mixed for new skills and social communication. | Studies published before mid-2013. |
| Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., et al. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(7), 1951–1966. doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2351-z | National evidence review, 1990–2011 | Social narratives classed as an evidence-based practice for autistic learners. | Classification, not effect size. |
| Steinbrenner, J. R., Hume, K., Odom, S. L., et al. (2020). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism. National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, University of North Carolina. ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/ | National evidence review, 1990–2017 | 28 evidence-based practices, including social narratives and video modeling. | Classification, not effect size. |
| Wright, B., Bell, K. J., Blackwell, J. E., et al. (2024). Impact of Social Stories on social and emotional health of autism spectrum primary school children: the ASSSIST2 RCT with economic evaluation. Health Technology Assessment, 28(39). doi.org/10.3310/JBTM8017 | Cluster RCT, 249 children aged 4–11, 87 schools | No significant change in teacher-rated social responsiveness at 6 months; individual goals met more often (p = 0.012); about £191 cheaper per child. | COVID-19 disrupted delivery. |
Video modelling
| Study | Design | What it found | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlop-Christy, M. H., Le, L., & Freeman, K. A. (2000). A comparison of video modeling with in vivo modeling for teaching children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(6), 537–552. doi.org/10.1023/A:1005635326276 | Comparison study, 5 autistic children | Video modelling led to faster learning than live modelling and supported generalisation. | Very small sample. |
| Bellini, S., & Akullian, J. (2007). A meta-analysis of video modeling and video self-modeling interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Exceptional Children, 73(3), 264–287. doi.org/10.1177/001440290707300301 | Meta-analysis, 23 single-case studies | Video modelling and video self-modelling effective for social-communication, functional and behavioural skills; gains maintained and transferred. | Single-case designs, published 1980–2005. |
| Bloh, C., Bacon, L., Begel, B., Madara, K., & Koller, B. (2025). Comparing human video modeling to animated video modeling for learners with autism. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 41(2), 262–279. doi.org/10.1007/s40616-025-00224-y | Single-case comparison, 8 autistic children aged 5–8 | Animated and human video models both worked; neither was conclusively superior (3 learned more from animation, 2 from human video). | Very small sample. |
| Lang, R., Regester, A., Mulloy, A., et al. (2011). Behavioral intervention to treat selective mutism across multiple social situations and community settings. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(3), 623–628. doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2011.44-623 | Single-case study, selective mutism | A behavioural intervention with rewards and gradual practice increased speech across social situations and community settings. | Very few participants; no statistical testing. |
Personalisation and attention
| Study | Design | What it found | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kucirkova, N., Messer, D., & Sheehy, K. (2014). Reading personalized books with preschool children enhances their word acquisition. First Language, 34(3), 227–243. doi.org/10.1177/0142723714534221 | Repeated-measures experiment, 18 children (mean age 3y10m) | Children learned more words from personalised sections of a book than from non-personalised ones. | Small sample; word learning, not behaviour. |
| Cunningham, S. J., Brebner, J. L., Quinn, F., & Turk, D. J. (2014). The self-reference effect on memory in early childhood. Child Development, 85(2), 808–823. doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12144 | Three experiments, 164 children aged 4–6 | Items linked to the child's own picture were remembered better: a self-reference effect in early childhood. | Laboratory memory tasks. |
Children's media
| Study | Design | What it found | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lillard, A. S., & Peterson, J. (2011). The immediate impact of different types of television on young children's executive function. Pediatrics, 128(4), 644–649. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-1919 | Randomised experiment, 4-year-olds | Nine minutes of a fast-paced cartoon was followed by weaker executive function than an educational show or drawing. | Immediate effects only. |
| Mares, M.-L., & Woodard, E. (2005). Positive effects of television on children's social interactions: A meta-analysis. Media Psychology, 7(3), 301–322. doi.org/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0703_4 | Meta-analysis | Prosocial television content was associated with more positive social behaviour in children. | Older studies; varied designs. |
| Rasmussen, E. E., Shafer, A., Colwell, M. J., et al. (2016). Relation between active mediation, exposure to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and US preschoolers' social and emotional development. Journal of Children and Media, 10(4), 443–461. doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2016.1203806 | Experiment, 127 US preschoolers aged 2–6 | Watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood raised empathy, self-efficacy and emotion recognition, but only when parents often talked with children about what they watched. | Short follow-up. |
Know a study we should include? Email hello@calalunakids.com.