Efficiency of Multisensoric Therapy in Autism Spectrum Disorder Patients

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the role of various treatment methods for children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The prospective study was conducted in 2013–2015 at the Children’s University Hospital and Social Pediatric Centre of the University of Latvia. The data analysis included 72 children (2 to 5 year old) with ASD, of whom 38 had infantile autism, 16 had atypical autism, and 18 had other diffuse developmental disorder). 86.1% patients received therapy. The most common treatment was by Montessori method and special pedagogue. Other treatments were dance-movement therapy, animal, sand and one patient received spa treatments. Univariate OR analysis showed that Montessori therapy had a decreasing trend on three health disorders (visual, hearing, and fine motor skills disorders) compared with other types of therapy, but the effect was not statistically significant. Special pedagogue therapy for autism patients showed similar results. A significant effect was observed for fine motor skills (p < 0.05) and speech development (p < 0.05), and Montessori method and special education were shown to be the most effective tools for promoting developmental progress and reducing developmental delay. Special pedagogue method showed statistically significant efficiency in fine motor skills and speech development. However, significant differences were not found for the Montessori method due to a limited number of patients.