Clinical Research
LIU Yinhua, LIAO Zijing, GU Ying, DAI Dongmei, REN Cailing, ZHANG Feng
Objective To investigate the efficacy of play therapy within the framework of family co-activities for children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD), in order to provide a scientific basis for exploring effective intervention methods that enable long-term adherence to family-based training for children with ASD. Methods A total of 120 children aged 12 to 48 months with ASD, who visited the Ganzhou Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital from September 2022 to April 2024, were selected as study participants. They were randomly divided into three groups using a random number table. The observation group received parent training and hands-on teaching, with the subjects engaging in family co-activity play for 3 hours per day. The conventional intervention group underwent conventional applied behavior analysis(ABA) intervention therapy. The home care group did not receive any intervention treatment and was managed through routine home care practices. The intervention period lasted for 6 months, and the Gesell Developmental Scale was used to assess the treatment outcomes of the children. Results There were no statistically significant differences in gender and age distribution among children in the observation group, conventional intervention group, and home care group(P>0.05).Before the intervention, there were no statistically significant differences in total developmental quotient(DQ), adaptability, language, and personal-social skills among children in the three groups(P>0.05). After the intervention, statistically significant differences were observed in total DQ, adaptive DQ, language DQ, and personal-social DQ among the three groups(F=15.010, 4.942, 14.102, 22.665, P<0.05). Compared with the home care group, the observation group had higher total DQ(69.51±9.17 vs. 60.18±9.92), adaptive DQ(62.23±10.61 vs. 54.73±11.36), language DQ(54.95±12.41 vs. 44.38±10.71), and personal-social DQ(61.21±13.58 vs. 47.81±11.74) (P<0.05). Compared with the conventional intervention group, the observation group had higher total DQ(69.51±9.17 vs.59.65±8.56), language DQ(54.95±12.41vs.42.50±11.28), and personal-social DQ(61.21±13.58 vs.44.63±8.50)(P<0.05). Conclusions By training parents to engage in co-activity play at home,play therapy within the framework of family co-activities can effectively improve the adaptability, language ability, and personal-social skills of children with ASD, reducing the economic burden on the family and improving the efficiency of caregiving. This model has the potential to become an effective long-term intervention method for ASD families and is worthy of widespread promotion among children with ASD and their families.