Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased Access
We have previously shown in two randomized clinical trials that environmental enrichment is capable of ameliorating symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and in the present study, we determined whether this therapy could be effective under real-world circumstances. 1,002 children were given da...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Neural Plasticity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2734915 |
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| author | Eyal Aronoff Robert Hillyer Michael Leon |
| author_facet | Eyal Aronoff Robert Hillyer Michael Leon |
| author_sort | Eyal Aronoff |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We have previously shown in two randomized clinical trials that environmental enrichment is capable of ameliorating symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and in the present study, we determined whether this therapy could be effective under real-world circumstances. 1,002 children were given daily Sensory Enrichment Therapy, by their parents, using personalized therapy instructions given over the Internet. Parents were asked to assess the symptoms of their child every 2 weeks for up to 7 months. An intention-to-treat analysis showed significant overall gains for a wide range of symptoms in these children, including learning, memory, anxiety, attention span, motor skills, eating, sleeping, sensory processing, self-awareness, communication, social skills, and mood/autism behaviors. The children of compliant caregivers were more likely to experience a significant improvement in their symptoms. The treatment was effective across a wide age range and there was equal progress reported for males and females, for USA and international subjects, for those who paid and those who did not pay for the therapy, and for individuals at all levels of initial symptom severity. Environmental enrichment, delivered via an online system, therefore appears to be an effective, low-cost means of treating the symptoms of ASD. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f6a48bd20f1047d8bcef3dce8df6c569 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-5904 1687-5443 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neural Plasticity |
| spelling | doaj-art-f6a48bd20f1047d8bcef3dce8df6c5692025-02-03T05:44:53ZengWileyNeural Plasticity2090-59041687-54432016-01-01201610.1155/2016/27349152734915Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased AccessEyal Aronoff0Robert Hillyer1Michael Leon2Mendability, LLC, 915 South 500 East, American Fork, UT 84003, USAMendability, LLC, 915 South 500 East, American Fork, UT 84003, USACenter for Autism Research and Translation, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, 2205 McGaugh Hall, The University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4550, USAWe have previously shown in two randomized clinical trials that environmental enrichment is capable of ameliorating symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and in the present study, we determined whether this therapy could be effective under real-world circumstances. 1,002 children were given daily Sensory Enrichment Therapy, by their parents, using personalized therapy instructions given over the Internet. Parents were asked to assess the symptoms of their child every 2 weeks for up to 7 months. An intention-to-treat analysis showed significant overall gains for a wide range of symptoms in these children, including learning, memory, anxiety, attention span, motor skills, eating, sleeping, sensory processing, self-awareness, communication, social skills, and mood/autism behaviors. The children of compliant caregivers were more likely to experience a significant improvement in their symptoms. The treatment was effective across a wide age range and there was equal progress reported for males and females, for USA and international subjects, for those who paid and those who did not pay for the therapy, and for individuals at all levels of initial symptom severity. Environmental enrichment, delivered via an online system, therefore appears to be an effective, low-cost means of treating the symptoms of ASD.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2734915 |
| spellingShingle | Eyal Aronoff Robert Hillyer Michael Leon Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased Access Neural Plasticity |
| title | Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased Access |
| title_full | Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased Access |
| title_fullStr | Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased Access |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased Access |
| title_short | Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism: Outcomes with Increased Access |
| title_sort | environmental enrichment therapy for autism outcomes with increased access |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2734915 |
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