Effects of Rope Therapy on Social Attention and Temperament Traits in Autistic Children

TL;DR

This study explores whether rope therapy improves social attention and reduces anxiety in autistic children compared to traditional therapy.

Contribution

The study introduces rope therapy as a novel intervention for improving social attention and temperament traits in autistic children.

Findings

Both rope therapy and traditional therapy improved social attention in autistic children over time.

Rope therapy significantly reduced anxiety and emotional repression in participants.

Differences between the two therapies were not statistically significant for most outcomes.

Abstract

Background: Autistic children experience social communication challenges that are often linked to reduced social motivation and attention. However, there is currently no effective intervention to improve social attention in autistic children. Objective: This study compared the effects of rope therapy (RT), a novel intervention, with traditional sensory integration therapy (SIT) on social attention and temperament traits in autistic children. Methods: A two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted in which participants were randomly assigned to RT (n = 14) and SIT (n = 12) groups. Social attention was assessed using eye-tracking parameters, and temperament trait changes were measured using the Taylor–Johnson Temperament Analysis (T-JTA) scale. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in social attention over time (p < 0.05). Although the RT group demonstrated numerically greater improvements in social attention compared to the transitional SIT group, most of the between-group differences were not statistically significant. Additionally, the RT group showed significant reductions in anxiety and emotional repression temperament traits (p < 0.05). Conclusions: RT exhibits promise as an effective intervention for improving social attention and temperament trait patterns in autistic children. Further research is required to confirm the findings of this study and explore the long-term effects of RT.

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