Title

An Interoception-Based Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, and Early Intervention

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Abstract

The ability to notice internal sensations such as tense muscles, a rumbling stomach, or heavy eyelids and translate these internal sensations into emotional meaning such as anger, hunger, and fatigue is an important skill called interoceptive awareness. Deficits in interoception have been discovered within many conditions including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), obesity, depression, trauma, and others. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a condensed, 8-week intervention based on The Interoception Curriculum: A Guide to Developing Mindful Self-Regulation (IC) in children with ASD. Given the novelty of this intervention topic, an intentionally small pilot study was completed with eight autistic students, ages 6–13 years, enrolled in self-contained autism support classrooms. A significant increase in scores on an interoception measure were found as a result of the intervention. Interoception is hypothesized in the research as being foundational for emotional regulation and occupational performance. Therefore, these preliminary findings provide support for future, larger studies that examine the effectiveness of interoception-based interventions, such as the IC.

Volume

13

Issue

4

First Page

339

Last Page

352

DOI

10.1080/19411243.2020.1743221

ISSN

19411243

E-ISSN

19411251

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