SOCIAL VALIDATION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

Social validation refers to the evaluation of intervention procedures by those who receive, and implement these interventions whether they are fair, reasonable and appropriate. In the present paper, social validation literature is evaluated in the context of four areas: (a) problem behaviors, (b) instructional procedures, (c) social skills interventions, and (d) language interventions. A brief description of evaluation methods of treatment acceptability is also provided. Finally, suggestions for future research are offered.