Topic of Interest: Does intensive child-centered play therapy effect (impact) children on the autism spectrum?
Gap Statement: According to Schottelkorb et al., (2020),
“That our study used a small sample size, no follow-up was performed to ensure changes persisted post-intervention, and there was limited diversity in the sample due to the study taking place within one area of the northwestern United States. Another limitation of this investigation is that all evaluation of change was done through parents’ reports of symptoms on the SRS-2 and CBCL (p.70).”
Reference
Schottelkorb, A. A., Swan, K. L., & Ogawa, Y. (2020). Intensive Child‐Centered Play Therapy for Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Pilot Study.
Journal of Counseling & Development,
98(1), 63–73.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12300
This article researched intensive child-centered play therapy and how it impacted social functioning and externalizing problems in children diagnosed with autism. The results of the study showed that children on the autism spectrum who were involved in child-centered play therapy treatment showed great improvement in their social behavior and had a reduction with externalizing, attention problems, and aggression.
Variables To Be Measured
This study will use
intensive child-centered play therapy (CCPT) treatment as the independent variable and
preintervention and postintervention scores of the SRS-2 and child behavior checklist (CBCL) completed by the parents during these two periods as the dependent variable.
Cultural Consideration
In counseling, there are individuals who would be considered as vulnerable populations. According to Balkin and Kleist (2022, p. 55), these are individuals defined as being “vulnerable to coercion or undue influence”. Children, and children with a behavioral or mental diagnosis, are among this special population. I would need to take care that I am protecting the rights and welfare of the participants, not causing any harm, informing the participants of the nature of the study in a way they could understand and gain consent and assent from them, as well as their parents or guardians, and make sure that the participant does not feel coerced into the study if they do not wish to participate (Balkin & Kleist, 2022, pp.55-56).
Reference
Balkin, R. S., & Kleist, D. M. (2022). Chapter 3 Ethical and Multicultural Issues in Counseling Research. In Counseling Research: A Practitioner-Scholar Approach (2nd ed., pp. 55-56). American Counseling Association.
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Experimental
(Chapter 7)
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Participants
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Who are your participants and their demographics?
For this study, 23 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ages 4-10, were selected to participate. These children were from five elementary schools in the Northwestern United States and were reported to have moderate to severe levels of symptoms. The children were made up of 19 (83%) male and four (17%) female, with 22 children being of Caucasian descent and one child being of African American descent. Five (22%) of those children attended public developmental preschools for half a day, while 18 (78%) attended public elementary schools for full days (Schottelkorb et al., 2020, p. 65).
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Methodology
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Your study uses a between two groups or within-subjects design and randomizes participants. Define which one. Incorporate any methodology changes mentioned in the gap statement(s). State your approved research question.
For this study, the preintervention vs. postintervention time components would be the within-group variable and the child-centered play therapy (CCPT) vs. wait-list control would be the between-group variable (Schottelkorb et al., 2020, p.67). The methodology changes mentioned in the gap statement were that the study was limited and the sample size was small due to the study taken place in one area of the United States; changes were examined through the children’s parents’ reports of their symptoms on the Social Responsiveness Scale – 2nd edition (SRS-2) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL); and, the parents’ positive experiences during the intervention could have had an impact on their scores during the post-assessment period, nor was there a follow-up to ensure changes continued with the children postintervention (Schottelkorb et al., 2020, p. 70). The research question looked at does intensive child-centered play therapy effect (impact) children on the autism spectrum.
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Data Collection
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How will you collect your data?
For this study, the parents had to complete the SRS-2 and CBCL on their children. The children were randomized into two groups, with 12 receiving CCPT treatment and 11 receiving no treatment or the wait-list control group. An experimental design was implemented and lasted for six weeks. Once that time was complete, the parents had to complete the assessments again (post-test), then children who were in the wait-list group received six weeks of CCPT (Schottelkorb et al., 2020, P.67).
What instrument does your study use?
This study utilizes assessments or surveys. The two instruments utilized in this study are the SRS-2 and the CBCL.
What instrument could you add to your study to extend the research?
To extend the research, direct observation could be utilized to assess any change in symptoms outside of the parent report and changes in other settings, such as in a classroom setting (Schottelkorb et al., 2020, p. 70).
Provide the Cronbach’s alpha for all instruments you will use.
The SRS-2 had a score of .95, stating that it has a total reliability coefficient and valid for identifying individuals with ASD, and that it has a significant interaction effect between group and time. The CBCL had reliable/test-retest coefficients between .68 and .92, and valid for identifying individuals with internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Schottelkorb et al., 2020, pp. 66-67).
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