Uso de aplicativo móvel com música para o desenvolvimento de habilidades psicomotoras em crianças com transtorno do espectro autista

Abstract

Guiding question: With the growing demand for children with ASD and their need for early intervention, how can technological advances and caregiver support be leveraged to develop psychomotor skills? Design: Experimental, single-blind, randomized clinical trial. Participants: Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, both genders, aged 2 to 6, with support levels 1 and 2. Intervention: Psychomotor activities involving balance, gross motor skills, lateralization, and body awareness were conducted for all research groups, totaling 12 physical therapy sessions over a three-month period. An app containing information and videos of the same activities was also made available to caregivers of the experimental group for home practice. Outcome measures: The Vitor da Fonseca BPM battery (the main measure used to quantify the psychomotor skill scores of children with autism) was used to establish the child's psychomotor profile. Other outcomes were measured using measures of central tendency, the F test, and the Tukey test. Results: It was observed that psychomotor intervention in children with ASD has positive results, however, the development of the application did not obtain good adherence from parents, due to the short time of use, thus it did not present good results regarding the improvement of psychomotor skills.