The Effectiveness of the Lego® Bricks Play in Improving the Social Interaction of Children with Autism

Abstract

One of the main characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is difficulty with social interaction, and research has shown that current social interventions may not be adequate to meet the needs of children with ASD in mainstream schools. Lego-based therapy is a peer-based social intervention which aims to improve social and communication skills for children with ASD. This intervention had been brought into Malaysia, but a limited evidence base has been developed. This study employed the structure and concept of Lego-based therapy in Lego® Bricks Play sessions. An AB Single-case research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in improving the social interaction of children with ASD. The study was run in the special needs education integration program in a public primary school. Two students with ASD were involved in this study. The intervention sessions were conducted three sessions per week with three baselines and seven interventions sessions. The data of each session were collected during 15-minute free-play Lego sessions. The sessions were video recorded for data analysis according to a social behaviour coding scheme. Visual and statistical analyses such as Percentage of data points Exceeding the Median (PEM) and Tau-U calculation were used to analyse the data. Results indicated that both children with ASD increased their social initiations and responses, increased positive social behaviours, and decreased negative social behaviours. The study concludes that Lego® Bricks Play sessions effectively improve the social interactions of children with ASD.