Cross-professional collaboration between music therapists and special education teachers in autism interventions: a grounded theory qualitative meta-analysis

This study adopted a grounded theory qualitative meta-analysis approach to examine cross-professional collaboration between music therapists and special education teachers engaged in musical interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders. All reported findings derive from thematic prevalence analysis and theoretical saturation criteria rather than statistical quantification. Through systematic interpretive synthesis of 42 primary qualitative studies published between 2010 and 2024, open coding procedures yielded fifteen core collaboration elements. These elements were organized into three hierarchical tiers based on thematic prevalence index (proportion of studies identifying each element) and theoretical salience: primary elements (appearing in > 80% of studies) included shared goal development, communication frequency, and role clarity; secondary elements (60–80%) encompassed mutual respect, resource sharing, and decision-making processes; tertiary elements (< 60%) comprised technology integration, environmental adaptation, and professional boundary management. Axial coding analysis subsequently revealed a four-phase collaboration development process—relationship initiation, partnership consolidation, collaborative implementation, and outcome optimization—by mapping causal conditions, contextual factors, and action strategies across studies. Selective coding then integrated these categories into eight distinct collaboration model types, ranging from parallel cooperative approaches to integrated co-treatment models, with study participants describing varying levels of collaborative integration and perceived effectiveness. Building upon this three-stage coding progression, we developed the Cross-Professional Collaboration Model for Autism Intervention (CPCMAI), a descriptive and explanatory theoretical framework illustrating how collaboration quality mediates the relationship between professional inputs and child developmental outcomes. Several methodological boundaries warrant acknowledgment. The reliance on qualitative synthesis necessarily limits causal inference, and findings reflect interpretive patterns across heterogeneous study contexts rather than statistically generalizable effects. Future empirical validation through mixed-methods designs remains essential before widespread implementation. Despite these constraints, the findings offer theoretically-grounded guidance for practitioners and administrators seeking to optimize interprofessional service delivery, underscoring the significance of attending systematically to both structural and relational dimensions of collaborative partnerships.