To improve communication between parents and children with autism, parents should be involved in the learning therapy of their offspring, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet Psychiatry.
Doctors from the University of Liverpool and Manchester (United Kingdom) have implemented a new therapy to improve the condition of autistic children. Named PACT (Pre-school Autism Communication Trial), it helps parents interact better with their children. The researchers adapted this therapy, PASS (parent-mediated intervention for autism spectrum disorder in south Asia) to test it and put it in place to change the lives of the 5 million autistic children in Asian countries.
For this study, the researchers trained non-specialized health professionals in Pakistan and India. These professionals were then able to work with the parents of 65 children autistic.
After 12 weeks of the program, the children were assessed using recognized tests. The results of this experiment showed that children of trained parents showed significant improvement in communicating with their families.
“We have shown that these techniques can help children in the UK, but also children in South Asia, where there are factors such as lack of resources, trained staff, cultural differences and lack of access to medical centers. said Professor Atif Rahman of the University of Liverpool and Professor Jonathan Green of the University of Manchester, the two authors of the study.
Autism in France
L’autismis indeed a PDD, a pervasive developmental disorder. It is characterized by difficulties in communicating, poor social interactions and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Within PDD, we find according to the international classification, infantile autism, atypical autism, Asperger’s syndrome or Rett’s syndrome.
The National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) estimates that 100,000 young people under the age of 20 are affected by a pervasive developmental disorder in France and that infantile autism concerns approximately 30,000 of them.
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