ABSTRACT

Objective: Early intervention through light-box-training aims to verify the applicability and effectiveness of children with autistic features to improve their play and pervasive developmental levels. Methods: This study were three pre-school-age children with autistic features, and the study was conducted with an AB single-subject design. The baseline period was sensory integration therapy, and the intervention period was light-box-training, and the performance of each subject was measured through an evaluation of the shape discrimination and color a image during each session. Korean Denver Developmental Screening Test-2 (K-DDST-2), Korean-Child Development Inventory (K-CDI), and Knox Preschool Scale (KPPS) were used, and the resulting analysis was confirmed based on the average score of the baseline and intervention periods, a visual analysis through a trend line analysis, and the difference between pre- and post-test scores. Results: As a result of each subject's performance, for subject A, the average score in shape discrimination and color image was constant, and for subject B, the average score in shape discrimination and color image increased. Subject C’s average score in shape discrimination was constant, and the average score for the color image increased. As a result of the pre- and post-tests, in K-DDST-2, the personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, and gross motor developmental age increased in Subject A, and subjects B and C had increased fine motor-adaptive and gross motor development age. In K-CDI, subjects A, B, and C all showed total increases in development, self-help behavior, and gross motor and fine motor development ages. In the KPPS, all areas except the participation of subject A, all areas except the virtual-symbol of subject B, and the development age of all areas except the spatial operation of subject C were increased. Conclusion: This study confirmed that light-box-training has a positive effect on the play and pervasive development level of autistic features in children as an early intervention, and verified the applicability and effectiveness of light-box-training in children with such features.