1) Critically reviewed currently available treatment methods for autistic children, and
2) Suggested the usefulness of the integrative technique in the treatment of autism with retarded development of speech.
A brief explanation of the integrative treatment technique is as follows:
1. Assess, on the basis of Piaget's theory on intellectual development, if the child has already acquired the symbolic function or not.
2. If not, efforts are made to try to enrich the child's sensorimotor experiences, particulary those with its mother, since, according to Piaget's development theory, the sensorimotor stage is fundamental to the subsequent development stages. The child is challenged through such activities as “being held high”, “being held in the mother' s arms”, “giving and taking something from another”, “being constantly spoken to” and so on. The child is not permitted to play alone, because allowing it to indulge in ritualistic activities seems to interfere considerably with its ability to learn.
3. The mother is invited to enter the play-room, first to observe the play sessions and later to participate in them. Thus she gradually gains confidence in playing the maternal role. Thereby both play techniques and behavior modification techniques are integrated. The therapist also gives the mother a home task at the end of each session, so that she can continue the play sessions at home.
4. If the child has already acquired the symbolic function, the application of the operant conditioning techniques for teaching speech is useful, and often necessary.
