Incorporating merged treatment procedures for children with autism: A case report

ABSTRACT

We examined interprofessional collaboration in a pre-service training model which incorporated the merging of three treatments: Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Applied Behavior Analysis. We examined the effects of changes in the clinician interprofessional skill repertoire on therapeutic outcomes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Three licensed professionals modeled core techniques from their respective professions to establish benchmark standards for skill demonstration in the treatment of children with autism. Treatment phases were implemented sequentially targeting multiple therapist and child behaviors within a multiple-baseline across participants’ single case experimental design. Therapist skills improved to show a diverse repertoire of intervention techniques to match supervisor proficiencies. These interprofessional skills were delivered simultaneously in a timely and efficient manner. Assessed outcomes for children with autism included increased frequency of verbalizations, engagement during adult-directed interactions, visual-motor task productivity, and improved postural alignment. The study suggests that integrated training across interprofessional techniques enhanced a diverse repertoire of clinician skills, while systematically demonstrating child improvement on many interprofessional treatment goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• interprofessional education and collaborative practice
• clinical training in OT SLP ABA
• single case experimental design

Acknowledgments

We thank Lexi Anderson, Allison Brandmark, Emily Knox, Melissa Grant, Eliana Segal, Maddie Sova, Ana Wasserman, and Henry James for their assistance in completing this research.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to report.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded in part by the Alvin V. Baird Attention and Learning Disabilities Center in the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services at James Madison University.

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Richardson

Robyn Starry and Trevor Stokes designed the study, managed data collection, and executed the study. Robyn Starry, Trevor Stokes, Marsha Longerbeam, and Elizabeth Richardson collaborated on planning observation and intervention procedures, as well as in the writing and editing of the final manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript for submission