Exploring the Effectiveness of Alternative Therapies; Animal Assisted Intervention, Music Therapy and Manual Therapy on Improving Communication and Social Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Structured Literature Review.
Item
- Title
- Exploring the Effectiveness of Alternative Therapies; Animal Assisted Intervention, Music Therapy and Manual Therapy on Improving Communication and Social Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Structured Literature Review.
- Author(s)
- Curtis, B
- Abstract
- Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Global prevalence is 1 or 2 out of 100, with diagnosis and screening occurring as early as 2 years of age. ASD signs and symptoms vary between individuals, but it is characterised by impaired communication, social interaction and restricted repetitive movement or behaviours. There are hundreds of interventions available but effectiveness of these interventions is not yet understood as very few have been scientifically evaluated. Objectives The objective of the structured literature review is to answer the research question, Is manual therapy, music therapy and/or Animal Assisted Intervention effective at improving social and communication deficits in ASD? of outcome measures based on social and communication deficits. Design Structured literature review. Methods Three electronic databases were searched using relevant keywords and terms to identify suitable studies within the last ten years. Data was extracted into a table comprising of author, study design, intervention, journal and impact factor, sample size and comparators, outcome measures, blinding and main findings. Results 19 studies were included in the structured literature review. The studies included 2 meta-analyses, 14 RCT’s and 3 CCT’s. 8 studies investigated animal assisted intervention, 6 investigated the use of music therapy and 5 investigated manual therapy intervention in ASD. Outcome measures were reported using various scales and checklists, parent and guardian interviews, verbal and non-verbal testing and observation. Discussion Evidently, more research is needed into interventions for individuals with ASD, on larger sample sizes and using more objective outcome measures to eliminate the presence of bias. Animal Assisted Intervention reported vast improvements in impairments in communication and social interaction. Music therapy appeared to be effective among 808 participants, but research failed to be published in distinguished journals. Massage was the only manual therapy, therefore ‘effect’ of manual therapy cannot be determined. Conclusion It is difficult to determine effectiveness of alternative therapies on ASD. However, research into NICE recommended interventions is also limited, so it can be suggested that recommendation is not based on scientific evidence. It is therefore important for more research to take place to provide evidence based research for interventions for ASD.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2020
- Date Submitted
- 28.10.2020 18:08:18
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16656
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Autistic Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Massage, Music Therapy
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Curtis, B, “Exploring the Effectiveness of Alternative Therapies; Animal Assisted Intervention, Music Therapy and Manual Therapy on Improving Communication and Social Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Structured Literature Review.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 5, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.com/s/orw/item/199