Psychological Interventions and Strategies for Managing Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comprehensive Review
Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Psychological Interventions, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-based Interventions, Emotional Regulation, Social Interaction, Communication Skills, Daily Living SkillsAbstract
This article reviews three psychological interventions that are commonly used in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness-based interventions. Their effects on different areas of ASD, including communication abilities, social skills, emotional control, and independent living skills, are discussed. A quantitative study was performed on participants from different intervention groups, and the results showed that CBT and ABA greatly enhanced the participants' abilities to regulate their emotions, socialize, and communicate. Mindfulness-based interventions were mainly beneficial for emotional regulation, with less influence on the other areas. The evidence indicates that personalized and multimodal interventions may be the most effective treatment option for people with ASD. Besides that, the research underlines the importance of follow-up studies for a long period of time that investigate the sustainability of these interventions and makes a plea for increased access to psychological treatments for ASD in financially lacking areas.
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