The Effectiveness of Child Centered Play Therapy to Improve Joint Attention Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties in building and developing social and emotional skills in the same pattern with their peers. Deficit in joint attention is a core problem that presented by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in DSM IV criteria (APA, 1994). Some expert in the field of ASD have proposed play-base interventions for working with children with ASD, providing support for using play therapy as a method of treatment (Gallo-Lopez & Rubin; Greenspan & Weider; Layne in Balch & Ray, 2015). Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a therapy that has one of the purpose involve joint attention. The previous research mentioned that CCPT is effective to increase the joint attention skills, so it can increase social interaction skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The purpose of this research is to know the effectiveness of CCPT in improving joint attention skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This research's design is qualitative method with single case pre-test/post-test design, by measuring the score of joint attention skills, including Initiative Joint Attention (IJA) and Response Joint Attention (RJA) in three years old ASD children before and after CCPT. The CCPT conducted in twenty sessions for four weeks. The result has shown that Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is effective to increase Initiative Joint Attention (IJA) with a score comparison in post-test is higher (77,56) than pre-test (38,12).

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Author Information
Maria Novita, Tarumanagara University, Indonesia
Ediasri Toto Atmodiwirjo, Tarumanagara University, Indonesia
Debora Basaria, Tarumanagara University, Indonesia

• Category: ACE2017, Oral Presentation
• Tag: Education & Difference: Gifted Education/Special Education/Learning Difficulties & Disability

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

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