ABSTRACT

This study was aimed at identifying the effects of sensory integration therapy on the persistent preoccupation of a child with autism spectrum disorder. Methods : A 5 year-old child with autism spectrum disorder and continuous preoccupied behavior was selected as a treated subject according to the purpose of this study. Among the single subject design of the study, the research method used an A-B design, and free play for 20 minutes was video recorded 3 times as a basis step. For the intervention step, 20 minutes of free play after a 40 minute intervention was video recorded 8 times. The resulting data is presented in the table and frequency graph and was analyzed visually. Results : The average frequency of the continuous preoccupied behavior decreased at the intervention step, more than at the basis step, and the continuous preoccupied behaviors showed a decreasing tendency as the treatments in the intervention step progressed. Conclusion : This study shows that the sensory integration therapy is effective in reducing continuous preoccupied behavior of children with autism spectrum disorders.