Training adults and children with an autism spectrum disorder to be compliant with a clinical dental assessment using a TEACCH-based approach.
Five TEACCH-structured sessions let autistic clients tolerate a full dental exam without sedation.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran five TEACCH-structured sessions.
They taught autistic adults and kids to sit through a 10-step dental exam.
No sedation, just picture schedules, task strips, and rewards.
Before and after counts showed how many steps each person could handle.
What they found
After the short program most clients finished the full exam.
Compliance jumped from near zero to almost the whole checklist.
Dentists could clean, probe, and X-ray without restraint or drugs.
How this fits with other research
Siaperas et al. (2006) used the same TEACCH ideas in a Greek group home.
They saw wider gains—cooking, talking, dressing—after six months.
The 2014 study narrows the target to one stressful medical task and gets there faster.
Farmer-Dougan (1994) also boosted adult compliance, but used peer prompts instead of TEACCH visuals.
Both papers prove you can teach adults new tricks; one uses housemates, the other uses schedules.
Why it matters
You can copy the five-session plan in any clinic or home.
Make a picture strip of the dental chair, light, suction, and polish.
Practice one step at a time, pair with stickers or iPad time, then run the real visit.
No need for sedation, saving money and trauma for your clients and their teeth.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The specific neuropsychological and sensory profile found in persons with autism spectrum disorders complicate dental procedures and as a result of this, most are treated under general anesthesia or unnecessary sedation. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a short treatment and education of autistic and related communication-handicapped children-based intervention program (five sessions) to facilitate a 10-component oral assessment in children (n = 38, aged 4-9 years) and adults (n = 34, aged 19-41) with autism spectrum disorder (with or without associated intellectual disability). The assessment ranges from entering into the examination room to the evaluation of the dental occlusion. There were statistically significant differences in the number of components reached and in compliance before and after the training program.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2014 · doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1930-8