A Contemplative Biofeedback Intervention for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Feasibility of a Community-Based Treatment
A Contemplative Biofeedback Intervention for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Feasibility of a Community-Based Treatment
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DOI：
10.1007/s10484-021-09503-5
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发表时间：
2021-01-28
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Levit-Binnun, Nava
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Brezis, Rachel S.;Levin, Amitai;Levit-Binnun, Nava
随着被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的成年人数量继续增长，缺乏资源和缺乏可用的干预措施加剧了他们的低生活质量，包括低水平的教育和就业，以及高水平的共病焦虑和抑郁。在这里，我们建立在现有的研究表明自闭症干预措施对ASD患者的有效性，提供一个低成本的生物反馈增强培训，可以由非专业人员实施，并可能帮助自闭症患者掌握抽象的治疗技术。我们假设，干预将减少参与者的焦虑和自闭症症状，并增加他们的自我意识，自我决定和同情心。14名患有ASD的成年人，居住在辅助生活中，与非专业培训师一起每周进行16次半小时的沉思生物反馈会议，他们学会了通过结合生物反馈和冥想技术来降低他们的唤醒水平，并将其应用于日常生活。干预前后收集了定量和定性数据，以确定参与者自我意识、自决、焦虑、自闭症症状和同理心的变化。参与者能够成功地提高他们的生理唤醒水平的生物反馈设置，表明该技术的可行性。此外，我们发现了自闭症症状减少和自我决定增加的初步迹象。参与者和咨询师的定性报告显示，参与者在许多现实生活中应用了这些技术，这些技术对他们的情绪调节，工作和社会动机以及自我决定产生了深远的影响。该研究为低成本，基于社区的干预提供了概念验证，可以改善ASD成年人的生活。
As the number of diagnosed adults living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to grow, a lack of resources and lack of available interventions exacerbate their low quality of life, including low levels of education and employment, and high levels of co-morbid anxiety and depression. Here we build upon existing research showing the effectiveness of contemplative interventions on individuals with ASD, to provide a low-cost biofeedback-enhanced training which can be implemented by non-professional staff, and may help autistic individuals grasp abstract contemplative techniques. We hypothesize that the intervention will decrease participants' anxiety and autism symptoms, and increase their self-awareness, self-determination, and empathy. Fourteen adults with ASD, residing in assisted living, were provided with 16 weekly half-hour contemplative-biofeedback sessions with non-professional trainers, in which they learned to reduce their arousal levels through combined biofeedback and contemplative techniques, and apply those to everyday life. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected pre- and post-intervention, to determine changes in participants' self-awareness, self-determination, anxiety, autism symptoms, and empathy. Participants were capable of successfully improving their physiological arousal levels on the biofeedback setup, indicating feasibility of the technique. Further, we found initial indications for reduction in autism symptoms and increased self-determination. Qualitative reports by participants and counselors revealed that participants applied the techniques in many real-life situations, and these had far-ranging effects on their emotional regulation, work and social motivation, and self-determination. The study provides proof-of-concept for a low-cost, community-based intervention which can ameliorate the lives of adults with ASD.