The Effectiveness of Rhythmic Poetry Training on the Growth of Social, Speaking and Writing Abilities of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of rhythmic poetry training on the growth of social, speaking and writing abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder. The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population consists of all children aged 8-10 years with autism spectrum disorder referring to the Welfare Organization, exceptional children's schools and centers and clinics of Khorramabad city in the first half of 2020. Among the statistical population of this study, were selected 30 people using available sampling method, and were placed randomly in experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups; and responded to vineland social maturity scale (Doll, 1965), TOLD language development test (Newcomer & Hammill, 1997) and written expression disorder test (Jabbari, 2016). Rhythmic poetry training for the experimental group was carried out in 16 sessions of 60 minutes each week for 2 sessions; Then, at the end of the therapeutic interventions, the subjects of the experimental and control groups were evaluated by questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance. The results showed that rhythmic poetry training caused to the growth of social activities, including general self-help, self-direction and communication, language skills, including linking vocabulary understanding, grammatical understanding and word differentiation and writing skills, including word writing, sentence writing, and observance of plural and singular in children with autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, using rhythmic poetry training can improve the social, speaking and writing abilities of autistic children.