Ψυχάγειν Καβάλα Ψυχοθεραπεία

A Model of treating emotional dysfanction  in children with Asperger syndrome. Poster presentation at the 9^th European Conference on Psychologigical Assessment, Thessaloniki Greece.

      Emotional dysfunction is one of the main symptoms that display children with pervasive developmental disorders (ICD-10, DSM-IV).

It seems that due to the emotional dysfunction of children with Asperger syndrome, they can hardly attribute cause to other people’s emotions (Zournatzis, 2006), which may lead to impairments in the development of mental representations.

On the basis of the above idea, a new treatment model was developed. This model was implemented in the cases of five children with Asperger syndrome, aged 5 to 10 years old. This model consists of three phases and three cycles each and includes techniques from different perspectives.

Children were assessed pre- and post-intervention with the following tools: DSM-IV criteria, parent interview and clinical observation. Moreover, a questionnaire was created by the researchers, based on the DSM-IV criteria. In addition, a questionnaire constructed by the researchers, based on the DSM-IV criteria and the “three domains impairment” of Wing (1998) for children’s social behaviour was used. Finally, videotaping of the children before and after the implementation of the model was effectuated.

According to the results, post-intervention, children didn’t meet several of the symptoms that caracterize Asperger syndrome, like the lack of relationships with peers, the absence of eye contact and the development of mental representations. Moreover, compared to other therapeutic interventions, this one seems to demand a shorter period of time for positive results to appear.

    This study presents methods that may help children with Asperger syndrome to better give reason for other people’s behaviour so that their dysfunctional “attitude” regarding communication is changed and that noticeable improvement in the adjustment to their environment is achieved.