• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.112-117
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• 2021

Objectives: This study identified changes in social communication and interaction among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through Theraplay. Methods: This study included 20 children who were diagnosed with ASD by a child and adolescent psychiatrist and were recommended to undergo Theraplay in 2012-2017. The Marschak interaction method was used to identify and analyze the interactions between parents and their children. The Korean version of the Social Communication Questionnaire (K-SCQ) was used to evaluate symptoms of ASD. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the differences before and after Theraplay. Results: Upon comparing the differences in total K-SCQ scores, there were statistically significant changes (z=-3.269, p=0.001) in children with ASD. Changes were also confirmed in each category, namely social interaction, communication, and limited and repetitive behavior patterns (p=0.011, p=0.025, p=0.039, respectively). Conclusion: This study found that Theraplay may cause significant changes in social communication in children with ASD. Further studies are needed to establish the effectiveness of Theraplay in children with ASD.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.91-108
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• 2018

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the change of mother-child interaction and perceptions of parenting and play after participating in parent counseling education program which is combined physical contact play activities with client-centered counseling technique. Methods: The subjects were 6 mothers and their child who attended more than 7 out of 8 times in the program, which carried out totally 8 sessions, once a week for 90 minutes. Marschak Interaction Method (MIM) and semi-structured questionnaire about parenting and play were used to assess the change. Results: First, mothers' interaction with their child was become more nurturable and mutual engaged, and facilitated their child's challenge simultaneously providing structure. Second, child-directed interaction was increased rather than mother-directed, and the waiting time for their child's attempt became longer. Conclusion/Implications: The parent counseling education program changed the mother-child interaction more positively. This study has the implication in terms of combining play with education and counseling, but there is the limitation of generalization due to qualitative analysis based on limited cases.