New Updates on Evidence-Based Practice for Individuals with Autism - Includes Exercise!

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has created an amazing report updating evidence based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism.   This document is over 100 pages and it goes into extensive detail on how each evidence based practice was included. 

I have perused the document and there is relevant information for all pediatric therapists who work with children with autism.  I highly recommend that you read the document for yourself to help guide your treatment sessions which can be downloaded here - http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/sites/autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/files/2014-EBP-Report.pdf.  There are excellent charts that summarize what evidence based practices are suitable for specific age groups. 

Here are the highlights related to OT/PT for children with autism:

1. Exercise is now included as an evidence based practice in helping children with autism.  According to the matrix table, the participants in an exercise group reported improvements in behavior (ages 0-14 years), school readiness (0-14 years), academic (0-5 years) and motor (6-14 years).
2. Prompting, Reinforcement, Task Analysis, Technology Aided, Instruction and Intervention, Time Delay, Video Modeling and Visual Support all were labeled evidence based practices where improvements were reported in motor areas ages 0-5 years old and 6-14 years old.
3. Sensory Diets and Sensory Integration and Fine Motor Interventions were listed as other focused intervention practices with some support (were excluded from evidence based practices for autism due to insufficient evidence).

Reference:  Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., … Schultz, T. R. (2013). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Autism Evidence-Based Practice Review Group. This report is available online at http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/sites/autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/files/2014-EBP-Report.pdf

Classroom Activity Posters

Classroom Activity Posters is a collection of 16 exercise activities, 4 large posters and a brief, simple video demonstration of each exercise. The posters are divided into four groups: posture, alerting, ready to work and focus/balance. All of the exercises are performed in standing.  Find out more.