scholarly journals Effect of Equine-Assisted Activities on Social and Sensory Functioning of Children with Autism

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 551-575
Author(s):  
Drew C. Coman ◽  
Margaret P. Bass ◽  
Michael Alessandri ◽  
Christine S. Ghilain ◽  
Maria M. Llabre
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Assessment Scores ◽  
The Social ◽  
Teacher Reports ◽  
Equine Assisted

Abstract This is a replication, randomized control trial, that investigated the therapeutic effects of a 12-week equine-assisted (EA) intervention on the social and sensory functioning of children with autism. Reliability and stability of parent and teacher reports of children’s social and sensory functioning across three assessment times were assessed, in support of the validity of observed outcomes. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that children in the EA group (n = 25) would significantly improve, relative to a wait-list control group (n = 25), in both domains of functioning. Results indicated that reports were reliable, and children in the experimental group improved in overall social and sensory functioning, as well as within specific subdomains, with “unblinded” assessment methods. Relative to the pre-assessment scores, children improved in functioning in specific areas at post-assessment and 8-weeks post-intervention. Therefore, results of the study suggest EA activities may be a beneficial modality for delivering autism-specific treatment strategies.

scholarly journals Imagining Autism: Feasibility of a drama-based intervention on the social, communicative and imaginative behaviour of children with autism

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 915-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Beadle-Brown ◽  
David Wilkinson ◽  
Lisa Richardson ◽  
Nicola Shaughnessy ◽  
Melissa Trimingham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children With Autism ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Control Group ◽  
School Based ◽  
Parental Response ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Communicative ◽  
Parent And Teacher Ratings

We report the feasibility of a novel, school-based intervention, coined ‘Imagining Autism’, in which children with autism engage with drama practitioners though participatory play and improvisation in a themed multi-sensory ‘pod’ resembling a portable, tent-like structure. A total of 22 children, aged 7–12 years, from three UK schools engaged in the 10-week programme. Measures of social interaction, communication and emotion recognition, along with parent and teacher ratings, were collected before and up to 12 months after the intervention. Feasibility was evaluated through four domains: (1) process (recruitment, retention, blinding, inter-rater reliability, willingness of children to engage), (2) resources (space, logistics), (3) management (dealing with unexpected changes, ease of assessment) and (4) scientific (data outcomes, statistical analyses). Overall, the children, parents and teachers showed high satisfaction with the intervention, the amount of missing data was relatively low, key assessments were implemented as planned and evidence of potential effect was demonstrated on several key outcome measures. Some difficulties were encountered with recruitment, test administration, parental response and the logistics of setting up the pod. Following several protocol revisions and the inclusion of a control group, future investigation would be justified to more thoroughly examine treatment effects.

scholarly journals The Impact of Augmented Reality on the Social Skills of Children with High Functioning Autism

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-154
Author(s):  
Morteza Bakhtiarvand
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
High Functioning Autism ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The present study determined the effectiveness of augmented reality on the social skills of children with high Functioning autism. The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a posttest test with a control group. The statistical population of the present study included all children with autism with high performance in Andimeshk in 2019. Participants included 20 children with high-functioning autism who were selected by available sampling method and randomly selected in the experimental and control groups. They were evaluated using the Bellini social profile, and then augmented reality was performed on the experimental group in 10 45-minute sessions, while not on the control group. The findings were analyzed using covariance analysis and showed that the augmented reality intervention program had an effect on the social skills of children with high-functioning autism. Based on these results, augmented reality intervention program can be considered as a priority for rehabilitation of children with autism with high performance.

scholarly journals The Effect Of Giving Family’s Psychososial Stimulation On Social Development Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) At ADIP Center Therapy Sumber Bendo Kediri Regency

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1092-1100
Author(s):  
Luluk Susiloningtyas ◽  
Nurin Fauziyah ◽  
Ratih Kusuma Wardhani
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Wilcoxon Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Psychosocial Stimulation ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family

Psychosocial stimulation served as a beneficial reinforcer for child development. Good psychosocial stimulation has a positive impact on the social development particularly for children with ASD. These study used a Quasi Experiment with Non-equivalent Control Group Design. The research analysis of the Mann Whitney test showed a significance of Sig (p) = 0.034. α = 5% = 0.05, p <α means there are differences in social development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the treatment group with the control group,  it means that there is a difference after the treatment of giving psychosocial stimulation by the family. The analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon test, it was found that Sig (p) = 0.003. α = 5% = 0.05, p <α, it means that there is an effect of giving psychosocial stimulation by the family on the social development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Treatment Options in Depression During the Postpartum

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
U. Frisch ◽  
T. Mikoteit ◽  
R.-D. Stieglitz ◽  
A. Riecher-Rössler
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Individual Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Antidepressant Use

Objective:A group therapy specifically adjusted to the needs of depressed mothers was developed in Basel and was compared to individual therapy-as-usual.Method:The group program which consisted of 12 group and 1 couple session was administered in 5 consecutive groups to 31 participants. the main therapeutic method used was cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Antidepressants were prescribed if necessary. in a second step a control group of 21 participants receiving individual therapy-as-usual has now been evaluated and compared to the specific treatment group in a pre-post-design using Beck-Depression-Inventory (BDI), Symptom-Check-List (SCL-90-R) and other scales. Symptom reduction and other outcome variables were determined. in a further step demographic characteristics of responders and non-responders were analysed.Results:Both, treatment group and control group showed significant improvement of depression, there was no significant difference between the two treatment strategies. However differences were seen in acceptance, satisfaction with treatment as well as in terms of treatment costs. There was a trend for more frequent antidepressant use in the control group. Also multipara showed a significantly better outcome in the treatment group than single mothers.Conclusions:This manualized group therapy proved to be effective for mothers with depression. It could be an alternative treatment to avoid antidepressants during pregnancy and postpartum and might be less stigmatizing.

scholarly journals Quranic Recitation Using Technology as Complimentary Therapy to Ameliorate Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

2019 ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Amir MAL ◽  
Wan Fara AWAK ◽  
Mohd Zaid D ◽  
Mohd Amzari T ◽  
Kartini I
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
The Social ◽  
Making Friends ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is on the rise. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects social communication and social interaction that manifests with a restricted, repetitive pattern of behaviour, interest or activit ies (RRB) at an early developmental age. Consequently, ASD children are facing difficulties in social skills aspect such as eye contact, expression, and making friends. There are limited studies that show the recitation of the Quran may improve some symptoms, but there is no specific study that demonstrates the impact of the renditions on social skills.Objectives: To investigate the effect selected Quranic verses recitation on the social skills of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Method: This study uses Quranic verses which are selected using two categories of the Quranic inimitability doctrine (I'jaz Al-Quran) (Al-Atrasy, 2007). Firstly, the influencing inimitabi lit y (I'jaz Ta'thiri) and secondly the language inimitability (I'jaz Lughawi). The recitation is kept consistent exposing to the children with ASD for a specified amount of time using an audio player with a Bluetooth speaker. The sound decibels will also be recorded. They will then be exposed to standard occupational therapy techniques. The evaluation of performance will use Quasi-Experimental research design questionnaires. Fourteen ASD Muslim children aged between 4-6 years old has been recruited for this research. The ASD children will be divided into an experimental and control group. The Social Responsiveness Scale- Second Edition (SRS-2) will be used to assess the response. The scale consists of a set of questionnaires, with Likert-scale evaluation.Results: The expected result for this study is the ASD children in the experimental group will have lower Total-scores of SRS-2 compared to control group.Conclusion: Quranic recitation provides effective complementary therapy to improve social skills among Muslim ASD childrenInternational Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue: 2019 Page: 38

scholarly journals A Dance Movement Psychotherapy Intervention for the Wellbeing of Children With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Intervention Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supritha Aithal ◽  
Vicky Karkou ◽  
Stergios Makris ◽  
Themis Karaminis ◽  
Joanne Powell
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Dance Movement ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Control

BackgroundSustaining the wellbeing for children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be highly demanding. Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP), a form of psychotherapy with a non-verbal character, may present as a relevant intervention option for this group of children.MethodsA protocol-based group DMP intervention was developed and implemented in two special educational needs schools in the North West of England. We aimed to investigate the effects of DMP on children with ASD using the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Twenty-six children aged between 8 and 13 years (mean age = 10.65 years) with ASD were randomly allocated to DMP and a control group with standard care, following a crossover research design.ResultsResults showed no significant carryover or period effects for either the SCQ or SDQ (p &gt; 0.05). A significant intervention effect was found only for SCQ (p = 0.005) but not for SDQ (p &gt; 0.05). ANCOVAs were performed on the data before the crossover to test for differences in SCQ and SDQ scores between the DMP intervention and control groups while controlling for pre-intervention scores. Those in the DMP intervention group presented significantly lower SCQ scores following the intervention period than those in the control group (p = 0.001). No significant differences in post-intervention SDQ scores were found between DMP intervention and control groups (p = 0.2). However, minimal clinically important differences (MCID) were reached for both SCQ and SDQ measures before crossover for those in the DMP intervention group. Moreover, repeated measures ANOVAs performed on SCQ and SDQ measures following crossover were significant, with the change in both SCQ (p = 0.001) and SDQ (p = 0.009) pre-and post-intervention being significantly greater for those in the DMP intervention than the control group.ConclusionThe pilot DMP intervention has shown promising results on the social and emotional wellbeing of children with ASD irrespective of whether they preferred verbal or non-verbal mode of communication. Limitations and appropriateness of the research methods implemented in this study for their use in a large RCT are discussed in detail. Overall, our findings highlight the value of creative therapies for improving the lives of young vulnerable groups.

scholarly journals Promoting Social Competence in Preschool with an Executive Functions Program Conducted by Teachers

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4408
Author(s):  
Miriam Romero-López ◽  
M. Carmen Pichardo ◽  
Judit Bembibre-Serrano ◽  
Trinidad García-Berbén
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Real World ◽  
Estimating Equation ◽  
Generalized Estimating Equation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
The Social ◽  
Executive Function Training ◽  
Experimental Group

The objective of this research is to examine the effectiveness of the “Executive Function Training Program in Preschool” (EFE-P) that includes real-world activities and applies different required methodologies for a sustainable education. In addition, it is evaluated whether the improvement of executive functions is transferred to the social competence domain. The study involved 100 students aged 5–6 years, of which 50 were randomly assigned to the active control group and 50 to the experimental group. Executive functions (BRIEF-P) and social competence (BASC and PKBS-2) were measured at two time points (pre-intervention and post-intervention). Data were analyzed using the Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) for repeated data and results showed that children in the experimental group obtained better scores on executive functions and social competence compared to their peers in the control group. It is discussed if the executive functions training can be effective in improving social competence as long as the programs include real-world activities that encourage such transfer, as the EFE-P does.

Epistemic and relational conflicts in sharing identical vs. complementary information during cooperative learning

2002 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Darnon ◽  
Céline Buchs ◽  
Fabrizio Butera
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Complementary Information ◽  
Relational Conflict ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

When interacting on a learning task, which is typical of several academic situations, individuals may experience two different motives: Understanding the problem, or showing their competences. When a conflict (confrontation of divergent propositions) emerges from this interaction, it can be solved either in an epistemic way (focused on the task) or in a relational way (focused on the social comparison of competences). The latter is believed to be detrimental for learning. Moreover, research on cooperative learning shows that when they share identical information, partners are led to compare to each other, and are less encouraged to cooperate than when they share complementary information. An epistemic vs. relational conflict vs. no conflict was provoked in dyads composed by a participant and a confederate, working either on identical or on complementary information (N = 122). Results showed that, if relational and epistemic conflicts both entailed more perceived interactions and divergence than the control group, only relational conflict entailed more perceived comparison activities and a less positive relationship than the control group. Epistemic conflict resulted in a more positive perceived relationship than the control group. As far as performance is concerned, relational conflict led to a worse learning than epistemic conflict, and - after a delay - than the control group. An interaction between the two variables on delayed performance showed that epistemic and relational conflicts were different only when working with complementary information. This study shows the importance of the quality of relationship when sharing information during cooperative learning, a crucial factor to be taken into account when planning educational settings at the university.

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