Psychoeducational intervention to improve oral assessment in people with autism spectrum disorder, BIO-BIO region, Chile.

BACKGROUND

To assess the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention program designed to facilitate the performance of a series of steps of oral examination in children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in the Bio-Bio region, Chile.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A prospective, quasi-experimental study with pre-intervention, post-intervention and maintenance tests was carried out. Behavior was measured using Frankl's scale and the number of steps of a dental examination completed (1-10 steps) was also recorded. Only 104 of the 188 subjects with ASD that agreed to participate in the study met all the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

82 people with ASD completed the psychoeducational intervention. The mean number of steps achieved pre- and post-intervention was 4.1 and 9.4, resulting in a clinically and statistically significant difference. Regarding behavior, the median in the pre-test was 2 (negative behavior) and in the post-test it increased to 3 (positive behavior), this difference being relevant and statistically significant. A maintenance test one month later on 63 people with ASD found no variations in behavior and in the number of examination steps completed.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed intervention was effective as an increase of more than 5 in the number of steps of examination completed was achieved. Frankl's behavior rating also increased, from negative to positive, in a group of children, adolescents and adults with ASD.