The Effect of Family-Centered Nature Therapy on Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Objective The treatment of autism, a long-term developmental neurological disorder, is controversial. Because of the increasing trend and the lack of a known cause in this area, the treatment is complicated; obscure development of the disorder is a fundamental issue for the parents of these children. Due to the nature of the disorder and involvement of long durations of treatment, various therapeutic methods are used. In addition to the present treatments, a cost-effective and effective treatment is nature therapy (Eco therapy). Therefore, we decided to study the effectiveness of family-centered nature therapy on children with autism spectrum disorder. Materials & Methods A quasi-experimental (pre-test/post-test) study was conducted involving children with autism spectrum disorder (3-7 years old) who were referred to Tehran's rehabilitation and therapeutic centers. Fourteen children with autism spectrum disorder were selected by an available sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In each group, 7 children (6 boys and 1 girl) were placed. Ten therapeutic sessions were conducted in 3 months in the summer of 2017; each session was held for 3 hours (9 am to 12 pm) in the Nature School of Savan (located in Chitgar Forest Park) with the obligatory presence of parents (parents or at least one of them). To collect data, the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and the Nature Therapy programs (based on the theoretical framework and relevant research findings) were used. The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) consisting of four parts, speech / language / communication, socialization, sensory / cognitive awareness, and health / physical / behavior were scrutinized three times, i.e., before the start of the session, 10 days after the last session of education and three months after the last training session. Each family was followed up by the other families. The variables studied in this study were, family-centered nature therapy (independent variable) and autism spectrum disorder syndrome (dependent variable). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods (mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum scores) and inferential methods (Leven test to assess the assumption of the equation of error variances, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to examine the normal distribution of covariance analysis and to investigate the effect of test conditions on the dependent variable of the groups). Results The results showed that the average score of the post-test for Autism Treatment increased in the experimental group (172.3±5.11) compared with the post-test for control (1.151±10.24), which was statistically significant. This showed that the nature therapy program brought an improvement in children with autism spectrum disorder. Also, the average follow-up scores (after 3 months) of the experimental group (173.91±12.02) indicated the efficacy of treatment. The results of covariance analysis indicated that the calculated F value (F=21.91) was highly significant (P<0.001), indicating t...

The Effect of Family-Centered Smoking Cessation Counseling on the Respiratory Function of Asthmatic Children With a Smoker in the Family Referred to Besat Hospital Children’s Clinic, Sanandaj in 2019

“…The current study also demonstrated that familycentered counseling led to an improvement in respiratory indices, including FEV1 in children with asthma three FEV1 is the amount of air exhaled during the first second of the FVC maneuver, and its amount decreases in lung diseases, including asthma (29). Smoking cessation leads to an improvement in pulmonary function and an increase in the FEV1 index (28).…”

Challenges of Accessing and Using Rehabilitation Services in People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

“…There were significant shortcomings in access to services, including referral problems for essential services in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. • Challenges related to the high costs of services and the lack of a systematic support system: High cost of providing services [15], insufficient insurance coverage [13], lack of government support [26], and concerns about costs [21];…”

“…• Challenges related to poor knowledge and attitude: Lack of knowledge of the signs and symptoms of ASD [26], lack of information of parents about how to access the required services [15], and lack of knowledge about ASD [22];…”

“…• Challenges related to the structure of rehabilitation programs: Problems in using services, such as lack of maintaining services [13], structure and maintenance of ASD services [29], and heterogeneity of services offered in different centers [15];…”

“…• Challenges related to communication between parents and service providers: Lack of parental involvement in childcare [13], difficulty communicating with service providers [21], and poor cooperation of parents and providers in planning, implementing, and evaluating services [15];…”