Study on a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder Who Acquired Adaptive Behaviors through Intervention with Visual Aids

Abstract

We conducted longitudinal dental management for a child with autism spectrum disorder who acquired adaptive behaviors through intervention with visual aids.

The patient was a boy who was 6 years and 11 months old. He had resisted dental preventive treatment due to being unable to understand verbal instructions for approximately two years. At 8 years and 10 months old, he began to engage in adaptive behaviors only after we started using visual aids by way of picture cards for dental preventive treatment. His inability to imagine the posture for undergoing the medical service or the treatment itself via current perceptions was considered one cause of his maladaptive behavior upon first experiencing dental treatment.

We believe that he failed to imagine the posture for undergoing the medical service or the treatment itself via auditory perception due to being unable to understand the verbal instructions during the treatment while being held down；furthermore, he was unable to imagine the posture for undergoing the medical service or treatment via visual perception as he was unable to see his own posture during the treatment. In addition, his somatic sensations (mainly proprioception) also failed to allow him to imagine his posture during the treatment. When he saw picture cards for dental preventive treatment, he was able to imagine the treatment or his body (posture) by integrating visual information and somatic sensations. As he became used to undergoing preventive treatment once a month and repeatedly experienced the integration of both visual information and somatic sensations, in addition to improved cognitive functions as the boy matured, when he heard cues which signified that it was time to undergo dental preventive treatment or when he saw medical specialists and other individuals working at the dental office, he was able to recall the posture for undergoing medical service or treatment. In this way, he became able to understand verbal instructions without using picture cards, allowing him to receive dental treatment.