There is a lack of peer-reviewed research on occupational therapy using Zones of Regulation™ concepts for autistic youth. The purpose of this article is to describe the feasibility of a newly-developed occupational therapy intervention using Zones of Regulation™ concepts (OT-ZOR) for autistic youth. Specifically, we aimed to evaluate: (a) participant recruitment, retention, and attendance; (b) intervention fidelity, safety, and assessment completion; (c) intervention acceptability; and (d) preliminary participant outcomes. A single-arm feasibility study was completed with outcome measures before and after 10 weeks of OT-ZOR. Fourteen autistic youth ages 6 to 13 completed the study. Youth attended 94% of OT-ZOR sessions. Providers achieved 97% fidelity to the intervention. Occupational therapists and caregivers expressed overall satisfaction with the OT-ZOR intervention. Youth demonstrated significant decreases in irritability, hyperactivity, emotional reactivity, and dysphoria. OT-ZOR is feasible to implement, acceptable to providers and caregivers, and may improve self-regulation in autistic youth.
Keywords: autism; occupational therapy; pediatrics.
Occupational Therapy Using Zones of Regulation Concepts: A Feasibility StudyThe research team developed an intervention that combines occupational therapy best practices for autistic youth with concepts from a widely used curriculum for teaching self-regulation skills, the Zones of Regulation™. This article describes the feasibility of implementing this new intervention, named occupational therapy using Zones of Regulation (OT-ZOR). The current feasibility study provided 10 weeks of OT-ZOR to autistic youth ages 6 to 13 and collected data about feasibility of implementing the intervention, acceptability of the intervention to caregivers and providers, and preliminary participant outcomes. OT-ZOR was feasible to implement, as indicated by high rates of retention, attendance, and fidelity to the intervention. OT-ZOR was acceptable to the occupational therapists who provided it, and the caregivers of autistic youth who participated. Youth demonstrated improvements in self-regulation. Overall, we concluded OT-ZOR was feasible to implement, acceptable to providers and caregivers, and may improve self-regulation in autistic youth.