TL;DR
Yoga practice appears to be an effective approach to supporting adolescents with ASD and their parents in addressing challenges such as reducing perceived stress and anxiety or improving attention abilities.
Evidence is offered for the feasibility of delivering the psychoeducation CFT-based program within U.K. health care services and perceived benefits in social support, well-being, and self-efficacy, which reflects the perceived usefulness and appropriateness of the program to the participants.
Abstract Social anxiety disorder (SAD) in adolescence associates with impairment across several developmentally salient life domains. Treating adolescents’ SAD with school-based interventions has multiple benefits. We examined the preliminary feasibility and effectiveness of the brief Developmentally Oriented Cognitive Therapy for SAD (DOCT-SAD), among adolescents with SAD and their parents delivered in the school setting by school psychologists. Participants (n=11, mean age 15.8 years, females 81.8%) were recruited from secondary schools in Tampere, Finland. K-SADS-PL was used to determine primary and co-morbid disorders, augmented with ADIS-5. All participants had primary SAD. Structured feasibility interviews were administered at post-treatment to young people, parents, and school psychologists. Primary outcome measures (SPIN, ADIS-5 based CSR) and secondary outcome measures (SAFE, PHQ-9, YP-CORE, CALIS-C, and CALIS-P) were collected at pre- and post-treatment. On a scale of 0–10, young people perceived the treatment as suitable for them (mean 8.7, SD=1.0). Parents’ general experience of the DOCT-SAD treatment was overall positive (mean 8.9, SD=0.7). Treatment providers rated their general experience of the treatment as good (mean 8.5, SD=0.6). All participants completed the treatment. Significant pre–post decrease in SAD symptoms measured with SPIN was found (mean reduction −8.4, p=.021, r=0.7). Of participants, six (54.5%) were in diagnostic remission at post-treatment according to ADIS-5. The brief, 10-session DOCT-SAD intervention was accepted by young people, their parents and school psychologists. DOCT-SAD seems feasible and beneficial in treating adolescents with SAD in the school environment. Key learning aims (1) To gain knowledge of a brief 10-session school-based SAD intervention and its feasibility in the school environment. (2) To learn about the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of the DOCT-SAD intervention for young people, their parents and school psychologists. (3) To acquire information about the benefit of the school-based DOCT-SAD and its comparability to previously studied SAD treatments in the school environment.
The perceptions of non-parent caregivers (nannies or yayas) in supporting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Philippine context remained underexplored. Guided by Role Theory, which explained how roles were shaped by expectations, rights, and obligations, the study explored the perspectives of non-parent caregivers on their roles, rights, and obligations in supporting therapy sessions of children with ASD. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data gathered through in-depth interviews (IDIs) from five purposively selected non-parent caregivers were thematically analyzed. The findings revealed that non-parent caregivers perceived their role as multifaceted, involving high expectations, recognized rights, heavy obligations, and associated risks. Future studies could have focused on developing formal training programs for non-parent caregivers of children with ASD, creating institutional guidelines that included them as stakeholders in intervention planning, examining and supporting their mental health and well-being to prevent burnout, and expanding research to larger and more diverse populations across different regions, backgrounds, and disability contexts.
Objective and setting This study aims to explore the effects of exercise intervention on the physical and mental rehabilitation of children with ASD, and provide a reference for expanding behavioral intervention methods for autism. Design This study used two children with autism, Case B and Case D, as research subjects. According to the physical and mental characteristics of children with ASD, a 16-week, three-stage rehabilitation program was designed and implemented. During the training period, measurement methods such as ActiGraph GT3X+, Health Related Physical Fitness (HRPF), Test of Gross Motor Development 3 (TGMD-3), and ABC Behavior Observation Scale were used to evaluate the effects of rehabilitation training at each stage. Results After completing the targeted intervention, the physical acvtivity of the two children were decreased sedentary behavior (Mchange=290.07 d/min, 218.16 d/min), the increased moderate/high-intensity physical activity (Mchange=135.05 d/min, 36.45 d/min), In terms of healthy physical fitness level, the body mass index (BMI) of the the children with ASD was decreased (Mchange = 0.7, 4.92), together with the increased grip strength (Mchange=1.8, 4.2) and forward bending in the new sitting position (Mchange=4.3, 5.6). In terms of fundamental motor skills, the total score of the children with ASD was increased (Mchange=4, 10), especially the object control skill score (Mchange=4, 7). In terms of the physical behavior, the frequency and duration of stereotyped behaviors of the two children were decreased. In addition, the positive communication times of the two children were also increased (Mchange=14, 12). Conclusion The 16-week exercise intervention improved the physical activity and health fitness levels of the autistic children to some extent, and meanwhile, the two children also showed some improvement in their behavior. They suggest that individualized exercise may warrant further investigation as a supportive component of educational rehabilitation, but causality and generalizability cannot be established without larger controlled studies and long-term follow-up.
The present study aimed to develop an educational package for a meta-parenting model based on the lived experiences of successful mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The research adopted a qualitative design using a phenomenological approach. The study setting comprised all mothers of children diagnosed with ASD who, at the time of the study, had referred to autism organization, treatment, and rehabilitation centers in the city of Kermanshah during 2024. To develop the educational package for the meta-parenting model, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 mothers of children with ASD, selected through snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. The interview texts were analyzed using thematic analysis. In the qualitative phase, four main themes (individual and psychological strategies, spousal understanding and support, mothers’ support networks, and religious beliefs and convictions) and 15 subthemes were extracted. Based on the findings, the educational package of the meta-parenting model can be used alongside the positive parenting approach as an effective intervention to reduce parent–child conflicts and improve positive interactions among mothers of children with ASD, and through family-based psychological support, enhance mothers’ empowerment in managing parenting challenges.
This study aims to examine the effects of an adapted physical activity on focused attention in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this study, an adapted physical activity was planned for children who have ASD by using a multiple baseline design across skills, one of the single-subject designs., The program was taught via the most-to-least prompting, and its effects on focused attention skills of children with ASD were examined before and after the training. Three students with ASD participated in the study. Data collection tools included a data collection form, and the Bourdon attention test to determine baseline level, probe, instruction, maintenance, and generalization sessions in the study. Tau-U analysis results indicated a large and statistically significant effect of the intervention across all target behaviors. In conclusion, children with ASD should be more involved in adapted physical activity in public schools.
We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads. See our Cookie Policy.
