Effectiveness of Joint Attention Training on Basic Social Communication, Anxiety and Executive Functions of Children with Autism Spectrum

Birivan Mahmmoudiany Sardasht; Parvin Ehtshamzadeh; Fariba Hafezi

doi:10.18502/ssu.v32i7.16568

Birivan Mahmmoudiany Sardasht Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
Parvin Ehtshamzadeh Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
Fariba Hafezi Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ssu.v32i7.16568

Keywords: Joint attention training, Early social communication, Anxiety, Executive functions, Children with autism spectrum.

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of joint attention training on basic social communication, anxiety and executive functions of children with autism.

Methods: The research design was quasi-experimental and pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical populations of children with autism spectrum were referred to the psychiatric and psychological centers in Urmia City during the year 2021-2022. 30 individuals (15 ones from the shared attention group and 15 from the control group) were selected as a statistical sample using the available and targeted method. Data via questionnaires of basic social communication (Zabov, 2010), anxiety (Spence, 1999), executive functions of the parents' brief form (Balster Gerard et al., 2000) were collected during the intervention therapy method of joint attention training (Vakilizad and Abedi, 2015) (12 sessions, 3 days a week, each session was an hour and a half, each session was divided into 3 parts of 25 minutes with a 5 minute break for the child). Then the data were analyzed with Software SPSS V. 16 and multivariate analysis of covariance test.

Results: The results showed that joint attention training increased basic social communication and executive functions and reduced anxiety in children with autism spectrum. The differences between the investigated groups and the conducted tests were significant (P≤0.01).

Conclusion: Interventional treatment methods such as joint attention training should be developed for the treatment of autistic patients, so that with the help of these methods, the individual and collective life of these patients can be improved.