An evaluation of occupational therapy using sensory integration to improve academic skills of school age children with autism
P. Sutthiwong (Phakawan2514@hotmail.com)
*Rajanukul Institute, THAILAND
Aim: People with autism often present with difficulty processing and integrating sensory information, they are restricted in their interest, and have repetitive and stereotypical behavior which has an impact on their adaptive behaviors and participation in daily activities. We examined the effectiveness of a 10-week program of intensive occupational therapy using a sensory integrative approach (OT–SI) for increasing academic skills in school age children with autism.
Method: Social participation, self-stimulation behaviors and attention during a fine motor task were observed in 67 children diagnosed with autism before and after the intervention.
Results: Paired t-test statistic confirmed that all of the participants in this study improved their academic skills in social participation and attention, and had fewer self-stimulation behaviors post-intervention.
