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The impact of high intensity versus low intensity behavioral therapy in establishment of functional routines in Egyptian autistic children

The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology volume 35, pages 115–121 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective

To compare the effect of high-intensity versus low-intensity treatment in the establishment of functional routines in autistic children.

Patients and Methods

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 25 children of 2–6 years of age of both sexes at the Unit of Phoniatrics, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Alexandria Main University Hospitals. An informed consent was taken from all patients in this part of the study. All cases included in the study underwent thorough history taking, comprehensive neurological examination, and diagnosis of autism based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth ed., Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and Autism diagnostic interview-revised. The children were trained for 1 year using the STAR program. The children were divided into two groups: group I included 15 children who were trained 5 days per week, and group II included 10 children who were trained 3 days per week owing to family commitments.

Results

There was significant improvement in both groups in all lessons when comparing pretherapy and post-therapy results; however, group I showed significant degree of improvement when compared with group II in specific items.

Conclusion

Early intervention for autistic children helps in improving their prognosis and yields better results. The need to apply the treatment on daily basis is highly recommended.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, 4 Elnasr Street, Smouha, Alexandria, 21500, Egypt

    Yehia A. Aboras, Rania M. Abdou & Heba E. Gaber BSc, MSc, MD

Authors
  1. Yehia A. Aboras
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  2. Rania M. Abdou
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  3. Heba E. Gaber BSc, MSc, MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heba E. Gaber BSc, MSc, MD.

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Aboras, Y.A., Abdou, R.M. & Gaber, H.E. The impact of high intensity versus low intensity behavioral therapy in establishment of functional routines in Egyptian autistic children. Egypt J Otolaryngol 35, 115–121 (2019). https://doi.org/10.4103/ejo.ejo_52_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ejo.ejo_52_18

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