نشریه تعلیم و تربیت استثنایی
سال هجدهم شماره 155 (بهمن و اسفند 1397)

Autism is not a new issue, although in recent years, due to different reasons, its prevalence seemed to be very low, but now experts do not consider it a rare condition.  Autism is a neurological condition that occurs in the brain and is the most common type of disorder characterized by autism spectrum disorders. This disorder is recognizable before age 3 and is found in all countries, ethnic groups, cultures, social and economic classes. This paper, by reviewing the available sources, examines the historical course of the disorder from the beginning to the present. In this article, the basic terminology, outdated theories, the eminent scholarly characters in the field of autism, the current situation and the prospect of the future of autism are briefly outlined.

Background and purpose:

Applied behavior analysis and game therapy can be effective methods for solving autistic children's behavioral problems. Meanwhile, comparing the effectiveness of behavioral behavioral analysis and therapeutic play is a topic that has been neglected. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis and play therapy on behavioral problems of children with autism spectrum disorder.

The present research method is semi-experimental and its design is pretest-posttest with control group. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all boys with autism who referred to daily centers under the supervision of the state welfare organization of Guilan province in the age range of 6-11 years. The sample size was 30 participants who were randomly assigned to three groups of applied behavioral analysis, game therapy, and control (n=10). The behavioral problems inventory was used to collect data. Finally, data were analyzed using covariance statistical method.

The results of this study indicate that the mean of behavioral problems indices in experimental groups (Applied behavior analysis and play therapy) was significantly reduced compared to the control group (p <0.01). Moreover, there was no significant difference in comparison between two therapeutic methods (p <0.05(.

According to the findings, both applied behavior analysis method and play therapy method have been effective in reducing behavioral problems in these children. In this regard, the results of this study indicate that there is no distinct difference in the rate of impact of applied behavior analysis and play therapy on behavioral problems of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, Applied behavior analysis, Play therapy, Behavioral problems

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with a defect in social behavior and interaction. Children with autism spectrum disorders have behavioral patterns, interests and limited entertainment. Anxiety is one of the most common problems in children with autism spectrum disorder, which causes significant problems in their function. Therefore, the diagnosis of anxiety and awareness of therapeutic techniques and effective interventions for reducing and treating anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder is very important for parents, teachers, educators and pediatricians with autism spectrum disorders. In this paper, after giving a brief introduction to definition of autism spectrum disorder, the definition of anxiety has been addressed. Anxiety, assessment and treatment methods and anxiety reduction in children with autism spectrum disorders have been presented in Iran. Finally, a conclusion has been made.

It is difficult to identify anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder and planning to intervene and provide services for these people. Clinical experience suggests that the need for specific therapies to reduce the anxiety of children with autism spectrum disorder is necessary.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) involve myriad aberrant perceptual, cognitive, linguistic and social behaviors. Lego therapy is one intervention that has been shown to encourage significant improvement in the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder and reducing their autistic-type social behaviors. The definition of the Danish word Lego is to play well. Lego therapy is a social development program for children of autism spectrum, which is based on collaborative Lego play.
  

Many children with ASD lack communicative intent and desire to communicate for social purposes. Lego therapy uses play to develop social competency by creating opportunities to interact. Children work together to build Lego models in pairs or teams of three. It is argued that as a result, participants experience a greater motivation to initiate social contact and engage in sustained interactions with others. In this article investigated theoretical base, application, implementation levels and effectiveness of Lego therapy.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the various aspects of childhood development. One of the movements that have recently been put forward to empower these children and their presence in the community is the inclusion. Among the applied models that are known in autism, is the Learning Experience and Alternative Program (LEAP) model for pre-school students with autism spectrum disorders and their parents.

To do this, using the systematic review method by searching the following words (LEAP model, inclusion model, Learning Experiences and Alternative Program, autism inclusion) in scientific websites like, Science Direct, Proquest, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases data from 2000 to 2018 were collected. After the collection of resources, the history of the model of Learning Experience and Alternative Program, components, effectiveness and application was described.

The main purpose of this model is to help children achieve full developmental potential in order to use the mainstream of general education. In this paper, we attempt to identify and introduce the main components of this model. Empirical findings on the effectiveness of LEAP model on the development of functional skills, independent play, social interaction, achieving prerequisites for academic skills, language and adaptive behavior.

No definitive methods have yet been reported for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder, but there are many ways to help these individuals, and improve their skills and their compatibility with the environment, and learn how to communicate and interact with others socially. One of Stomp's latest training methods, which emphasizes on cognitive-behavioral processes, attempts to educate and identify positive and negative emotions and emotions.
 As well as reducing maladaptive behaviors such as aggression and self-harm.

In the field of social communication education and interest in active and effective participation and participation of peers and community, and reduction of social anxiety, self-emotion and others emotions are used to respond to and interact with children with high-performance autism disorders.
In this article, the components of the Stomp Cognitive-Behavioral Education Method are presented.
In the first place; 1. Effective training; 2. Cognitive development; 3. Emotional toolbox

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of sensory-motor integration training in decreasing stereotypic behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder.

This is an A-B follow-up case study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit four male children with autism spectrum disorder that were chosen by non-probability and purposive sampling method. The participants participated in 21 sessions of sensory-motor integration training. Assessment instrument was Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS). Visual inspection charts and Cohen's d effect size were used to analyze the data.

The result of visual inspection on stereotypic behaviors and autism symptoms indicates the effectiveness of sensory-motor integration training in improvement of autism symptoms and stereotypic behaviors. The result of Cohen's d effect size showed large effect size of sensory-motor integration training on stereotypic behaviors and autism symptoms. Nonetheless, the effect size of sensory-motor integration training in the follow up stage for one of cases was medium.

The results of this research can be used in therapeutic planning and clinical interventions to reduce and treat autism symptoms.

This study used a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the use of rules, role-play, and feedback for teaching 3 children with autism spectrum disorder to tell socially appropriate lies when (a) presented with an undesired gift and (b) someone’s appearance changed in an undesired way. The intervention was effective in teaching use of socially appropriate lies, and generalization to untrained people and gifts or appearances was observed.