Effectiveness of Psychosocial Intervention in Attention Shifting, Working Memory, and Planning in Children with High Functioning Autism Disorder

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of psychosocial intervention on attention shifting, working memory and planning in children with high functioning autism disorder. Design of the study was Semi- experimental with pre-test, posttest with control group. The subjects of this study were 24 children that were diagnosed with high functioning autism disorder that was selected with convenience sampling method and assigned in two groups (12 students in experimental group, 12 students in control group). Data were collected through; The Behavior rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ) were used. Then therapeutic program based on psycho-social training was performed for the experimental group in 20 sessions and at the end post-test was taken of all subjects of experimental and control group. Data were analyzed by MACNOVA. The results showed that therapy based on psychosocial training has significant and positive impact on working memory (f ₌ 107/362, p0/001) and planning (f₌60/928, p0/001) of children with high functioning autism disorder, but has not significant impact on shifting attention. Training can improve working memory and planning in children with high functioning autism disorder.