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Contents
- Abstract
- Prevalence and Characteristics of ASD
- Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Relationship-Focused Interventions
- Play-Based Interventions
- Theraplay
- The Present Study
- Method
- Participants
- Measures
- Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)
- MIM scoring
- Therapy sessions
- Therapy session scoring
- Child Behavior Sheet
- Parent Behavior Sheet
- Procedures
- Pretesting
- Theraplay intervention
- Two-week posttesting
- Three-month posttesting
- Results
- MIM
- Therapy Sessions
- Therapist-Report Evaluations
- Child Behavior Sheet
- Parent Behavior Sheet
- Discussion and Implications
- Limitations
- Conclusion
Figures and Tables
Abstract
The goal of the study was to evaluate Theraplay using a sample of autistic children. Eight children diagnosed with mild to moderate autism participated in a 2-week intensive Theraplay intervention. The intervention consisted of each caregiver–child dyad having two 1-hr sessions each day over a 2-week period of time with a trained Theraplay therapist. Two series of measures were completed: (a) those completed during the intervention and (b) those completed during pretesting, posttesting 2 weeks following the intervention, and posttesting 3 months following the intervention. During the intervention, therapists completed a form following each session evaluating both the child and parent. Measures completed pre- and postintervention a caregiver–child interaction task (MIM) at pretesting and 2 posttesting time points. In order to evaluate change across time for the interaction task, a scoring system for the MIM interactions was adapted, per McKay and colleagues (1996). Data for intervention measures revealed that both parents and children significantly improved across session according to the therapist evaluation. These finding suggest that as the intervention progressed, both children and parents became better at interacting during the therapy sessions. Significant changes were observed in the MIM interaction tasks. Overall, caregiver–child dyads scored significantly higher on the MIM interaction task from pretesting to posttesting. Further, dyads scored significantly higher on several specific dimensions. The patterns of these findings lend support to the validity and usefulness of Theraplay as an intervention for special-needs children. Future studies should utilize larger and more diverse samples.
Children who receive a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), along with their parents, face a myriad of challenges from social and communication difficulties to parenting stress and difficulties in the parent–child relationship. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the prevalence of ASD is approximately...