Comparative Analysis of Two Intervention Approaches to Mental Development of Children with ASD

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Abstract

The paper presents a comparative analysis of the Emotional-Semantic approach and the DIR / Floortime approach to intervention in the childhood autism. Their conceptual similarities go as follows: both approaches are based on the idea of development and normal development principles, their goal is normalization of an autistic child’ mental development, they consider childhood autism as a biologically determined disorder connected to problematic affective sphere development and aim at engaging an autistic child into an emotionally valuable relationship. The approaches divert in considering the genesis of the affective sphere difficulties in autism, outlining diagnostic milestones, setting purposes of the adult’s joining the child’s activities and assessing intervention efficiency. Emotional-Semantic Approach considers the child’s inability to build relationships with the environment as a whole (not only with another person) as the main problem of the affective sphere development; it bases diagnostics on qualitative peculiarities of autistic disorder; it aims at helping the child comprehend the situation while developing joint and divided experiences and broadening the range of the child’s emotions.

General Information

Keywords: childhood autism, mental development disorders in autism, psychological intervention in childhood autism, Floortime therapy, Emotional-Semantic approach, development of affective domain, development of emotional relationships

Journal rubric: Workshop and Methods

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpp.2018260411

For citation: Nikolskaya O.S. Comparative Analysis of Two Intervention Approaches to Mental Development of Children with ASD. Konsul'tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya = Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy, 2018. Vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 169–186. DOI: 10.17759/cpp.2018260411. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

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Information About the Authors

Olga S. Nikolskaya, Doctor of Psychology, Head of the Laboratory of containment and methods of educating children with emotional disturbances, the Institute of Special Pedagogy of the Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia

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