Autism · 2006 · 156 citations · 11 references
Lego TherapyDisabilityEducationLego ParticipantsPsychologyNeurodiversityAutismDevelopmental DisorderInteractive Lego© PlayChild PsychologyBehavioral SciencesSocial SkillsMedicineRehabilitationPlay StudiesSocial Skills InterventionChild DevelopmentBehavioral SupportSocial Skill TrainingPerformance StudiesSocial BehaviorLong-term OutcomeSpecial EducationLego Building Materials
LEGO building materials are used as a therapeutic modality to motivate participation and facilitate interaction among children with social and communication handicaps, and the study discusses implications for social skills interventions in autism. The study retrospectively compared pre‑ and post‑treatment Vineland and GARS scores in 60 autistic children receiving LEGO therapy to 57 matched peers receiving non‑LEGO therapy over three years. LEGO participants improved significantly more than comparison subjects on both outcome measures; while diagnosis and pre‑treatment IQ did not predict outcomes, Vineland adaptive behavior composite, communication domain, and verbal IQ predicted VABS‑SD outcomes, especially for the LEGO group.
LEGO building materials have been adapted as a therapeutic modality for increasing motivation to participate in social skills intervention, and providing a medium through which children with social and communication handicaps can effectively interact. A 3 year retrospective study of long-term outcome for autistic spectrum children participating in LEGO therapy (N = 60) compared Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale socialization domain (VABS-SD) and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale social interaction subscale (GARS-SI) scores preand post-treatment with a matched comparison sample (N = 57) who received comparable non-LEGO therapy. Although both groups made significant gains on the two outcome measures, LEGO participants improved significantly more than the comparison subjects. Diagnosis and pre-treatment full-scale IQ scores did not predict outcome scores; however, Vineland adaptive behavior composite, Vineland communication domain, and verbal IQ all predicted outcome on the VABS-SD, especially for the LEGO therapy group. Results are discussed in terms of implications for methods of social skills intervention for autistic spectrum disorders.
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