Describing Physical Therapy Services Delivered to Children With Autism in the Outpatient Medical Setting

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Physical Therapy
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts motor development, necessitating tailored physical therapy interventions.
• Understanding the typical physical therapy (PT) dose is crucial for optimizing care for individuals with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the frequency, intensity, time, and type of physical therapy interventions provided to children with autism.
• To establish a baseline understanding of PT service delivery in a pediatric outpatient setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records from an outpatient pediatric medical center.
• Data collection focused on standardized flowsheet documentation of session details, including intensity (child effort on Likert scale), time (minutes per focus area), and intervention type.

Main Results:

• 291 individuals with autism received 1356 PT sessions (median 2 per individual).
• Therapy time predominantly focused on pre-functional, gross motor, and gait development.
• Common intervention types included education, musculoskeletal, and neuromuscular strategies, with infrequent use of standardized motor assessments or physical activity interventions.

Conclusions:

• Findings inform educators and administrators about resource allocation for autism services.
• Highlights the need for further research into effective PT service models for individuals with autism.