Impact of Drums-Alive® Program on Task Engagement in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study
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Background: Antecedent-based interventions (ABI) have been explored as evidencebased practices to improve task engagement (TE) for children with ASD (CwASD). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of Drums-Alive®, implemented as an ABI, on TE in CwASD. Methods: Participants were three CwASD, aged 6-8 years, who completed a 12-week withdrawal (A1-B1-A2-B2) design study. The baseline and intervention withdrawal phases (A1, A2) consisted of eight 15-minute observation periods with the CwASD engaged in a structured activity (e.g., Legos). The intervention phases (B1, B2) consisted of the CwASD completing eight 15-minute Drums-Alive® sessions followed by the same 15-minute observation period. The 10s partial interval recording data for the four phases were analyzed through visual inspection. Results: For all participants, TE percentages were higher in the two intervention phases than the baseline and intervention withdrawal phases. Conclusion: While limited, there appears to be support for Drums-Alive® as an ABI to improve TE for CwASD.
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