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

Da, Fang; Ma, Ying; Wang, Wenya; Li, Weiyu; Guo, Qiang; Wang, Tingzhao

doi:10.3390/bs15111520

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

by

Fang Da

^1,2

,

Ying Ma

¹,

Wenya Wang

¹,

Weiyu Li

²,

Qiang Guo

^3,* and

Tingzhao Wang

^1,*

¹

Faculty of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, 199 Changannan Rd., Xi’an 710062, China

²

Xi’an Qizhi School, 7 Daxuenan Rd., Xi’an 710068, China

³

College of Child Development and Education, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Rd., Hangzhou 311231, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(11), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111520 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 17 August 2025 / Revised: 25 October 2025 / Accepted: 5 November 2025 / Published: 8 November 2025

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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.

Keywords: STEM; project-based teaching; ASD; social skills; emotional–behavioral outcomes; single-case design research

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MDPI and ACS Style

Da, F.; Ma, Y.; Wang, W.; Li, W.; Guo, Q.; Wang, T. The Impact of STEM Activities on Social Skills and Emotional–Behavioral Outcomes in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behav. Sci. 2025, 15, 1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111520

AMA Style

Da F, Ma Y, Wang W, Li W, Guo Q, Wang T. The Impact of STEM Activities on Social Skills and Emotional–Behavioral Outcomes in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavioral Sciences. 2025; 15(11):1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111520

Chicago/Turabian Style

Da, Fang, Ying Ma, Wenya Wang, Weiyu Li, Qiang Guo, and Tingzhao Wang. 2025. "The Impact of STEM Activities on Social Skills and Emotional–Behavioral Outcomes in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder" Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 11: 1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111520

APA Style

Da, F., Ma, Y., Wang, W., Li, W., Guo, Q., & Wang, T. (2025). The Impact of STEM Activities on Social Skills and Emotional–Behavioral Outcomes in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavioral Sciences, 15(11), 1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111520

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

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