OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. Children with ASD may experience difficulties in attention, working memory, planning, cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, and executive functions. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of virtual reality-supported cognitive-focused occupational therapy on cognitive performance, occupational performance, and motivation in children with ASD. A total of 32 children with ASD aged 6-12 years will be assigned to either the intervention group (n=16) or the control group (n=16). The intervention group will receive virtual reality-supported cognitive-focused occupational therapy for 40 minutes once a week for 8 weeks, while the control group will receive structured occupational therapy sessions with the same frequency and duration. Cognitive performance, occupational performance, and motivation will be assessed using the Dynamic Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (DLOTCA), the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), and the Pediatric Motivation Scale (PMS), respectively.