Valdis Folkmanis
University of Latvia, Latvia
Title: Psychomotor function of children with autistic spectrum disorder – is a progress possible in six months period?
Biography
Biography: Valdis Folkmanis
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis that describes a social communication deficits and repetitive sensorymotor behaviours. The effect of different kinds of therapies in the case of ASD is proposed but not fully proven, and scientific evidence is controversial. In this study we aimed to investigate progress in psychomotor function of children with ASD that participated in different kinds of therapies. The study sample consisted of 100 children 2-5 years old that attended the Children Clinical University Hospital and the Social Paediatrics Centre of the University of Latvia at 2013-2015. After initial assessment of psychomotor function by child’s physician, children participated in different kinds of therapies or did not participate in any therapy, according to decision of their parents. The second assessment was performed 6-8 months after the baseline examination. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for age, compliance of development to age norms, and initial diagnosis of a child were built for the association between attendance of therapies and improvement of psychomotor functions. In fully adjusted multiple logistic regression models, participation in any kind of the therapy was significantly associated with improvement of some or all psychomotor functions. For example, Montessori therapy was especially effective for improvement of hearing and fine motor skills (odds ratio, OR=19.3 [95% confidence interval, CI 1,7; 221.1], and OR=3.8 [2.81; 757.0], respectively). To conclude: Attending a therapy is essential for children with ASD, but specific type of a therapy should be matched to the needs of each child individually