Occupational Therapy Intervention to Improve Joint Attention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A One-Arm Interventional Study
G. Daris Nithya, D. Nandhini, B. ShanthiAbstract
Background:
Joint attention, the shared focus of two individuals on an object or event, is a foundational component of early communication, play, and social development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often display deficits in joint attention skills, which are recognized as early indicators of autism. Occupational therapy (OT) interventions designed to target joint attention may significantly enhance social communication skills in these children.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of OT intervention in improving joint attention skills in children with autism.
Study Design:
A one-arm interventional study.
Methods:
This study was conducted with 50 children aged 2–6 years, diagnosed with ASD at the Department of Child Psychiatry, Egmore, Chennai. Joint attention skills were assessed using the Early socio communication scale (ESCS) before and after a 3-month OT intervention program. The program included structured activities focused on initiating joint attention (IJA), responding to joint attention (RJA), and overall engagement. Statistical analysis was conducted using paired sample
Results:
Significant improvements were observed in all measured domains. For IJA, the pretest mean was 3.76 (standard deviation [SD] =1.49) and the posttest mean was 8.56 (SD = 2.53),
Conclusion:
The OT intervention demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in joint attention skills among children with ASD.