- DHACA produced significant improvements (p<0.05) in 10 of 16 social skills, including responds to name, eye contact, shared attention and symbolic play.
- Individual DHACA sessions were delivered weekly for 20 weeks to 23 nonverbal or minimally verbal children aged 3 to 6; outcomes measured by ACOTEA-R.
- Findings support DHACA's clinical potential to increase autonomy and social participation in education and health settings; some skills trended but were not statistically significant.
Codas. 2026 Aug 3;38(5):e20250202. doi: 10.1590/2317-1782/e20250202pt. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical impact of the DHACA® method on the development of social skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
METHODS: This longitudinal quantitative intervention study conducted with 23 children with ASD, aged 3 to 6 years, who were nonverbal or minimally verbal. Individual intervention sessions using the DHACA® method were held weekly for 20 weeks. Social skills were assessed before and after the intervention using the ACOTEA-R protocol. Data were statistically analyzed using the Wilcoxon test.
RESULTS: There was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in ten of the sixteen skills assessed, including “responds to name,” “eye contact,” “shared attention,” and “symbolic play.” Other skills, such as “responds to ‘no'” and “takes turns,” showed a tendency toward clinical improvement, although not statistically significant. Only three skills did not show relevant progress.
CONCLUSION: The DHACA® method proved effective in promoting social skills in children with ASD, contributing to greater autonomy and social participation. The results reinforce its clinical potential as a therapeutic resource in both educational and healthcare settings.
PMID:42561347 | DOI:10.1590/2317-1782/e20250202pt
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