The Evidence-Based Parent Guide to Interventions for Children with Autism
Graduation Date
2010
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy
Department
Occupational Therapy
Department or Program Chair
Ruth Ramsey, EdD, OTR/L
Thesis Advisor
Stacy Frauwirth, MS, OTR/L
Second Advisor
Ruth Ramsey, EdD, OTR/L
Abstract
Children with autism may face cognitive and functional impairments that create challenges in all aspects of daily life. Children with autism experience deficits in social interaction, communication, behavior regulation, sleep, feeding, and play (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2008; Watling et al.,
1999). Autism-related cognitive and functional impairments also may have a significant impact on parents and other members of the family. Knowing and deciding which intervention/treatment to choose for the child may be a challenging responsibility as intervention can impact the parents’ daily schedule and routine, their social interaction and participation in the outside world, their emotional stability, their employment, and their leisure time (Midence & O’neill, 1999). Also, information regarding many of the interventions can be difficult to acquire and confusing to understand.
A resource manual was created to provide parents of children with au with research-based evidence on interventions commonly used for child autism. The manual provides an overview of nine interventions commonly for children with autism. Each section contains a description of the interview and a summary and interpretation of the current research available. Reference lists and resource websites have also been included for further explore assistance.
A resource manual evaluation was completed by parents of chi autism and occupational therapists. Participants reported that the resource manual was helpful, easy to navigate and understand, organized, and useful. The participants stated they would recommend the resource manual to other parents of children with autism.