Effectiveness of a Therapeutic Preschool Curriculum based on Applied Behavior Analysis, Sensory Integration and Learning Approaches in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a therapeutic preschool curriculum program in a group setting for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder aged between 18months -4 years based on applied behavior analysis, sensory integration and learning approaches. Method: The curriculum involving a sample of 12 toddlers was implemented at SOCH Centre every day for one and a half hours for a total duration of 6 months. An ordinal scale "Social skillsChecklist (Elementary/Pre-K) was used to evaluate the social engagement and reciprocation skills of the children with ASD.The assessment was conducted at baseline level and post intervention by the therapists conducting the preschool curriculum.The curriculum was selected based on Montessori principles and activities from sensory integration were incorporated.Behavior principles of shaping and prompting were also incorporated.Result: Wilcoxon signed ranked test was applied on pre and post values of the Social Skill Checklist.The entire domain (beginning play behavior, intermediate play behavior, advanced play behavior, understanding emotions, self regulation, flexibility and non verbal skills) have shown significant improvement as p value< 0.05.Conclusion: The preschool curriculum with incorporated therapeutic strategies used as intervention for ASD in a group setting was effective in improving social skills of children.