Occupational Therapy Interventions for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Evidence Connection articles provide a clinical application of systematic reviews developed in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) Evidence-Based Practice Project. In this Evidence Connection article, we describe a case report of an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder. The occupational therapy assessment and treatment processes for school, home, community, and transition settings are described.

Issues in implementing a comprehensive intervention for public school children with autism spectrum disorders.

Many students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are educated separately from their typically developing peers, while others are placed in inclusive classes but without supports that would help them benefit from less restrictive placements. The needs of students with ASD who are in inclusive settings are often not planned for or met appropriately, resulting in continuing problems and movement to increasingly restrictive environments or private placements. There is a critical need for school models to fill the gap in appropriate services for this population of children with ASD.

Efficacy of the Get Ready to Learn yoga program among children with autism spectrum disorders: a pretest-posttest control group design.

Occupational therapists use school-based yoga programs, but these interventions typically lack manualization and evidence from well-designed studies. Using an experimental pretest-posttest control group design, we examined the effectiveness of the Get Ready to Learn (GRTL) classroom yoga program among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The intervention group received the manualized yoga program daily for 16 wk, and the control group engaged in their standard morning routine.

Relationships between sensory modulation and social supports and health-related quality of life.

Objective: We explored the relationships between sensory modulation and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), social supports, and mental health symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Method: Twenty-eight adult volunteers ages 18-60 participated in the study. Fourteen adults were sensory overresponsive (SOR), and 14 adults in a matched comparative group were not sensory overresponsive (NSOR).

Performance challenges for children and adolescents with difficulty processing and integrating sensory information: a systematic review.

A systematic review of the literature related to performance difficulties for children and adolescents with difficulty processing and integrating sensory information was completed as part of the Evidence-Based Literature Review Project of the American Occupational Therapy Association. The review focused on functional performance difficulties that these children may exhibit in areas of occupation including play and leisure, social participation, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, rest and sleep, education, and work. The results suggest that children and adolescents with difficulty processing and integrating sensory information do exhibit functional performance difficulties in key areas of occupation.