Processo de modelagem e avaliação da eficácia de um modelo de protocolo de intervenção assistida por animais para crianças com transtorno do espectro autista

Abstract

Children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) undergo numerous therapies in their day-to-day care, including Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI). Studies have shown that AAIs help to improve the health and quality of life of these individuals and their families. In order for these practices to be carried out safely, with quality and efficacy, specific knowledge and standardization of these interventions are necessary. With this in mind, this study sought to validate the content and the semantics of the Animal-Assisted Interventions Program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder - PIAAC-TEA. The methodological study was based on the Medical Research Council's Complex Interventions Model, which consists of four stages: identification of evidence, identification and development of theory, modeling process and evaluation of effectiveness. A total of 33 professionals took part in the study, with 18 professional participants in the Modeling Process stage and 15 expert judges in the Evaluation of Effectiveness stage. Data was collected using an online questionnaire from April to November 2023. The project was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee under opinion nº 5.901.331 and CAAE nº 65692722.1.0000.5564. Data analysis in the Modeling Process phase was carried out by calculating the Content Validity Index (CVI), and in the Effectiveness Assessment the analysis was carried out using the Semantic Concordance Index (SCI). After analyzing the data, it was found that all 18 items that make up the PIAAC-TEA version 1 obtained agreement within the established level (CVI ≥ 0.80), being assessed as adequate by the professional participants. Suggestions relating to conceptual issues and better description of items were met. To address the dog care items, two sub-items were constructed: Selection, Socialization and Training of the Animal and Evaluation of the canine educator and the dog's pair. In version 2 of the Protocol, all 21 items were validated by the expert judges (ICS ≥ 0.80) and were kept in the final version. Thus, the Protocol was composed of the following items: 1- Program Planning, 2- Session Planning, 3- Implementation and 4- Field Notes and Results Evaluation, which is suitable for application in the proposed scenario.