RESUMO
The reported prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been showing a marked increase over the past 20 years. Therefore, a uniform data gathering system for ASD registration could prominently enhance plans for managing ASD worldwide. So, in the current investigation the authors aimed to design and validate the Persian version of a minimum dataset (MDS) for being administered in the national ASD registries. Methods: The current study is a mixed-method study with both quantitative and qualitative methods providing and validating a form of MDS in four phases according to Delphi method. The proposed MDS consisted of 11 categories containing coding responses. Content validity (CV) was evaluated based on 20 expert's suggestions and opinions. Item-CV Index (I-CVI) and Scale-CVI were administered to evaluate and validate the items and questions in the proposed MDS. Results: Twenty researchers from different disciplines scored each question and item. By taking into account the scores, the validity appraisal was provided for each item by computing the I-CVI value. Results showed that 41 out of 76 items had the value I-CVI less than 0.78 and were kept as relevant; 35 items were eliminated due to a value below 0.70. The Scale-CVI /Ave of the relevance for the entire form was 0.9396. Conclusion: The Persian version of MDS for ASD registry was found to be valid. Such MDS can be utilitarian for health cares and policymaking purposes by gathering and updating standard data for developing local and national registries.
RESUMO
Background: Postural instability is a prevalent issue among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that affects the development of their perceptual-motor skills and social functioning. Visual and somatosensory processing deficits, hypotonia, basal ganglia dysfunction, and anxiety are some of the concurrent disorders in individuals with ASD. Nevertheless, a definite management protocol for postural instability in ASD has not been introduced yet. Hence, we aim to shed light on the available intervention strategies for postural instability in individuals with ASD. Methods: Even though several studies have been conducted on the effects of various interventions for balance control in individuals with ASD, no study has compared their efficacy, limitations, and clinical implications. Results: This review discusses diverse proposed interventions contributing to ASD postural instability, including martial arts, water-based interventions, animal-assisted therapies, trampoline, balance training, vestibular therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, sports, play, and active recreation for kids (SPARK), and square-stepping exercise (SSE). Conclusion: Enhancing motor skills, cerebellum function, and sensory input integration were some of the main mechanisms of these interventions to improve balance control in ASD. Some interventions, such as water-based exercises and video games, were enjoyable for children with ASD and could raise their treatment adherence. In most studies, small sample sizes and the lack of a control group represented their major limitations. Therefore, future well-designed randomized controlled trials are required to assess the effects of available interventions on postural control in ASD.
