The study on the impact of Parent-Child Sandplay Therapy on preschool children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers.

The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Parent-Child Sandplay Therapy (PCST) Program on autism behaviors, social interactions, and sleep quality among preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as the impact on their mothers' parenting stress.

It randomly assigned Fifty-two child-mother pairs to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received a 20-week PCST Program along with an Applied Behavior Analysis-based program (ABA-based program), while the control group received only the ABA-based program. 

Forty-three pairs completed the study. The findings indicated that the PCST Program could potentially improve the social interaction and sleep quality of preschool children with ASD while reducing parenting stress.

The study found PCST Program to be a feasible and promising treatment for children with mild-to-moderate ASD and their parents. Hence, this program could be integrated into the usual nursing care of children with an autism spectrum disorder in special education schools.

Liu G, Chen Y, Ou P, et al. Effects of Parent-Child Sandplay Therapy for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 2023;71:6-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2023.02.006.