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Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention

The social isolation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is well documented. Their dearth of friends outside of the family and their lack of engagement in community activities places extra strains on the family. A project in Northern Ireland provided post-diagnostic support to nearly 100...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: McConkey, Roy, Cassin, Marie-Therese, McNaughton, Rosie
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7288007/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32466092
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10050318
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author McConkey, Roy
Cassin, Marie-Therese
McNaughton, Rosie
author_facet McConkey, Roy
Cassin, Marie-Therese
McNaughton, Rosie
author_sort McConkey, Roy
collection PubMed
description The social isolation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is well documented. Their dearth of friends outside of the family and their lack of engagement in community activities places extra strains on the family. A project in Northern Ireland provided post-diagnostic support to nearly 100 families and children aged from 3 to 11 years. An experienced ASD practitioner visited the child and family at home fortnightly in the late afternoon into the evening over a 12-month period. Most children had difficulty in relating to other children, coping with change, awareness of dangers, and joining in community activities. Likewise, up to two-thirds of parents identified managing the child’s behaviour, having time to spend with other children, and taking the child out of the house as further issues of concern to them. The project worker implemented a family-centred plan that introduced the child to various community activities in line with their learning targets and wishes. Quantitative and qualitative data showed improvements in the children’s social and communication skills, their personal safety, and participation in community activities. Likewise, the practical and emotional support provided to parents boosted their confidence and reduced stress within the family. The opportunities for parents and siblings to join in fun activities with the child with ASD strengthened their relationships. This project underscores the need for, and the success of family-based, post-diagnostic support to address the social isolation of children with ASD and their families.
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spelling pubmed-72880072020-06-15 Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention McConkey, Roy Cassin, Marie-Therese McNaughton, Rosie Brain Sci Article The social isolation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is well documented. Their dearth of friends outside of the family and their lack of engagement in community activities places extra strains on the family. A project in Northern Ireland provided post-diagnostic support to nearly 100 families and children aged from 3 to 11 years. An experienced ASD practitioner visited the child and family at home fortnightly in the late afternoon into the evening over a 12-month period. Most children had difficulty in relating to other children, coping with change, awareness of dangers, and joining in community activities. Likewise, up to two-thirds of parents identified managing the child’s behaviour, having time to spend with other children, and taking the child out of the house as further issues of concern to them. The project worker implemented a family-centred plan that introduced the child to various community activities in line with their learning targets and wishes. Quantitative and qualitative data showed improvements in the children’s social and communication skills, their personal safety, and participation in community activities. Likewise, the practical and emotional support provided to parents boosted their confidence and reduced stress within the family. The opportunities for parents and siblings to join in fun activities with the child with ASD strengthened their relationships. This project underscores the need for, and the success of family-based, post-diagnostic support to address the social isolation of children with ASD and their families. MDPI 2020-05-25 /pmc/articles/PMC7288007/ /pubmed/32466092 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10050318 Text en © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
McConkey, Roy
Cassin, Marie-Therese
McNaughton, Rosie
Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention
title Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention
title_full Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention
title_fullStr Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention
title_full_unstemmed Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention
title_short Promoting the Social Inclusion of Children with ASD: A Family-Centred Intervention
title_sort promoting the social inclusion of children with asd: a family-centred intervention
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7288007/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32466092
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10050318
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