Intervenções fisioterapêuticas em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA): revisão integrativa

Abstract

Introduction: Although motor aspects are not considered to establish a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), they deserve attention because, in addition to being common, they may appear associated with restricted levels of participation in activities in the home, school and community environment. In this context, physical therapy in ASD stands out to support children, adolescents and their families in the acquisition and improvement of motor skills, contributing to functional performance. Objectives: To gather current evidence on physical therapy interventions in children and adolescents with ASD. Methods: Integrative review of the literature published between January 2012 and March 2022, in Pubmed, Pedro, Lilacs and Scielo databases, without language restriction. The descriptors child, autism spectrum disorders and motor skills were combined with the free terms children, autism, physical therapy and intervention to broaden the search strategy. Results: By electronic search, 336 studies were located, but only four were selected, according to the established inclusion criteria, and included in this review. The structured practice of physical exercises was a therapeutic approach investigated in 75% of the studies, and the use of serial casting associated with AFO was investigated in 25% of the studies. The main results obtained were: improvement in motor coordination, praxis, ability to synchronize movements with peers, self-perception of physical competence, balance, agility, running speed, muscle strength and gait aspects. Conclusion: The results of the present review indicate the structured practice of physical exercise as the predominant therapeutic approach in the context of physiotherapy in ASD, with positive results in motor skills. There is also evidence that the combined use of serial casting with AFO can improve tiptoe gait. However, the number of articles reviewed is limited and further studies are needed to confirm the findings.