Effectiveness of an Integrated Global Systemic Program to Improve Behavioural Development in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder

From the behavioural perspective, the specific diagnosis of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), was categorized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th of the DSM-V-TR of American Psychiatric Association (2013) and also the International Classification of Diseases, 11th. from World Health Organization (2018).  Both classifications have indicated it specific behavioural construct associated with its diagnosis, defined by a whole of socio- behavioural deficits; however, it is need to have added that cognitive-perceptive symptomatic groups are the direct cause and consequence of the behavioural particularity in people with ASD.

For this reason, in this study has raised like general aim to analyse the effectiveness of the application of an integrated cognitive-behavioural systemic program to improve behaviours in people with ASD. The research study has been designed a quasi-experimental analysis of three groups with two pre-test and posttest measures. The groups are made up by: 1) an experimental group of 4 students with ASD (n= 4), which the integrated global systemic program was applied, 2) a control group-1, composed of 4 students with ASD, who have followed an A-B behavioural program (Stimulus-Response), and 3) a third control group-2, also made up of 4 students with ASD, who have followed several usual behaviours of modification programs (N= 12). Results found from means of non-parametric Kruskal Wallis Test (K-W), have showed the effectiveness of global integrated program implemented to experimental group, which has founded highly significant critical differential indices, regarding other two control 1-2 groups. Likewise, the bivariate correlations between behavioural dimension and cognitive-perceptive factors of processing are calculated and shown.