Abstract
Many children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and with or without intellectual disability have weak central coherence and a tendency to learn in a visual manner. Because of individual differences in the developmental status of ASD children, personalized support is optimal. However, there is scant published information about methods for providing individualized support in dental practice for children with ASD. Here, we describe effective strategies for providing individualized support in dental practice for children with ASD treated at our clinic.Case 1 : Boy, aged 2 years 11 months, with high-functioning autism and AD/HD This child was able to read hiragana letters and numerals at the age of 3. Therefore, we showed him information about the clinical procedures (Word schedule) to remove emotional confusion about dental practice. We noted ”reward” in red to give him a clear concept of the finish. The reward was included as a “reinforcer” and we used a drawing of his favorite cartoon character.Case 2 : Boy, aged 6 years 11 months, with autism and intellectual disability Picture cards portraying the events of the dental procedures in sequential order were shown to the child prior to and during therapy, with the picture card for each event removed when that step had been completed and a signboard with a red circle containing words of praise shown to the child. Thus, he received praise visually as well as through verbal encouragement. We also showed the child a timer that counted down the seconds until the procedure would be completed.Using these approaches, we were able to successfully facilitate dental treatments for children with ASD. It is clear that an individualized method, generated by assessing the development and behavior of each child, is advantageous for providing support of children with ASD.
