Development and Impact of a Communication Module on Eye Examination Testability Among Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract
This study aimed to develop and validate a communication module for eye examination and to determine its effectiveness in enhancing the testability among individuals with ASD. A Social Story based communication module was developed and validated in both English and Kannada languages. The module primarily focused on visual acuity testing, refraction, sensory and motor evaluation. A single-blinded cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the impact of the communication module on the testability of eye examination among individuals with ASD. Thirty individuals aged 5 to 10 years with a clinical diagnosis of mild to moderate ASD were enrolled and randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). Examiner 1 oriented the participants in the intervention group with the module. Examiner 2, blinded to the module’s implementation, examined all the participants’ eyes. All the procedures were carried out in a community setting. The average scoring for relevancy, appropriateness, understandability and simplicity of content ranged from 4.45 to 4.78 out of 5. The testability ranged from 40 to 100% in the intervention group and 20–100% in the control group for various tests. The odds of testability were 2.01 times greater for overall eye examination in the intervention group (OR = 2.01, 95% CI [1.82, 2.20]). For each test the odds of testability were 1.96–3.89 times higher in the intervention group. The developed and validated English and Kannada communication modules are effective in improving the testability of eye examination among individuals with ASD.
Funding Information
  • Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal

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