Daily life therapy: a Japanese model for educating children with autism.
Daily Life Therapy paints a lively school day for autism, but it brings no outcome data to the table.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Martens et al. (1989) wrote a story-style review about Daily Life Therapy. This is a Japanese school plan for kids with autism.
They list five big parts: group lessons, fixed daily schedules, copy-the-teacher drills, hard exercise, and arts classes. The paper tells what happens in class, but gives no test scores or data.
What they found
The paper only describes the model. It does not show if children learn more, talk more, or behave better.
Without numbers, we cannot tell if Daily Life Therapy helps or harms.
How this fits with other research
Dawson et al. (2000) hunted for proof that exercise and sensory drills help autism. They found almost no good studies. Their warning covers Daily Life Therapy’s exercise and art chunks, so the same warning applies here.
Vidovic et al. (2021) used another tight, step-by-step reading program and saw real gains on standard tests. That result makes Daily Life Therapy’s missing data stand out even more.
Sherman et al. (2021) showed that short teacher coaching can bring scripted lessons to near-perfect fidelity. Their work hints you could add BST if you ever test Daily Life Therapy for real.
Why it matters
If you like the idea of group exercise and arts, treat Daily Life Therapy as a wish list, not a proven tool. Track your own data before you adopt it. Pair it with evidence-based drills like Direct Instruction or BST to fill the gaps. Share your numbers so the next BCBA knows what works.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The controversial practice of Daily Life Therapy, as demonstrated at the Boston Higashi School in Massachusetts, is reviewed. Five fundamental principles of Daily Life Therapy are examined: instruction that is group-oriented; routine activities that are highly structured; instructional techniques that center on learning through imitation; a method for reducing children's levels of unproductive activity through rigorous physical exercise; and a curriculum that focuses on movement, music, and art. These central features of Daily Life Therapy are discussed in light of current theory, research, and educational practices in autism. Empirical questions raised by this unique treatment mode are outlined.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1989 · doi:10.1007/BF02212861