Evaluating narrative therapy for children with ASD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the effectiveness of narrative therapy on the language and communication skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): a feasibility study.
IRAS ID
157846
Contact name
Elaine Liu
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 10 days
Research summary
We would like to look at whether narrative therapy improves the language and communication skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children with ASD have difficulties in three main areas. They find it difficult to tell people what they need and how they feel (communication difficulties). They find it difficult to meet other people and make new friends (social interaction difficulties). They find it difficult to understand what other people think and how other people feel (rigidity of thinking).
We use narrative skills in every conversation. When we are talking we set a scene, introduce characters and then sequence information and events. Narrative therapy is used for children with speech, language and communication difficulties. Narrative therapy helps a child to choose and sequence information to (re) tell a story or everyday narrative. It can also help with their general understanding, understand of question words and vocabulary development.
This is a feasibility study and is based on a series of case series. Ten children with a diagnosis of ASD and language and communication difficulties will be eligible. They will be involved in the research study for seven months. At the beginning of the study standard speech and language therapy assessments will be carried out with the children. Parents and school will be asked to complete questionnaires about the child’s language and communication skills. The narrative therapy will be carried out by an experienced Speech and Language Therapist (SALT). It will be on a one-to-one basis once a week for eight weeks in the child’s school. A member of school staff will sit in on the sessions. They will be given activities from the sessions to practise in between the visits. When the therapy sessions have ended, the assessments and questionnaires used at the beginning will be carried out again.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NE/1172
Date of REC Opinion
7 Nov 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion