Impact of an Interoception-Based Program on Emotion Regulation in Autistic Children.
Kelly Mahler, Kerri Hample, Claudia Jones and 3 others
PMID 35539883WHAT IT FOUND
Staff reports showed significant changes in emotion regulation and improvements in interoception after a 25-week curriculum in 14 autistic children.
With no control group, this does not prove the curriculum caused the gains.
Key findings
01Teacher-reported BRIEF-2 scores changed significantly across all indexes and all subcategories except initiate and task-monitor in the cognitive index.
02CQIA-2 scores improved significantly overall and in homeostatic and general categories, with subcategory changes significant except toileting and sleep.
03Fourteen of 20 enrolled children had complete data after two missing teacher BRIEF-2 forms and four early returns to home schools.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 14 of 20 enrolled children had complete data; four returned to home schools before the intervention ended and two teacher BRIEF-2 forms were missing. There was no control group or random allocation, so the study cannot separate the curriculum's effect from time, extra attention, or school factors. Outcomes were staff reports, not child reports, and the children could not self-report using existing interoception interviews or questionnaires. The program was run in one self-contained school and directed by one occupational therapist, so it may not apply to other settings or children. The CQIA-2 is a new measure and its construct validity is not fully known. No follow-up data were collected, so it is unknown whether any gains lasted. No fidelity measure was included, although staff feedback suggested understanding and motivation.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report funding or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the interoception curriculum caused better emotion regulation. The study had no control group, used staff reports, and analysed only 14 of 20 enrolled children.