The system of intensive neurophysiological rehabilitation in the complex rehabilitation of children with autism spectrum disorders: application experience and evaluation of effectiveness
Authors: Antipkin Yurii , Kyrylova Liudmyla , Miroshnikov Oleksandr 
Published: June 2023

SYSTEM OF INTENSIVE NEUROPHYSIOLOGY REHABILITATION IN THE COMPLEX REHABILITATION OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS: APPLICATION EXPERIENCE AND EVALUATION OF EFFICIENCY

Yurii G. Antipkin, Liudmyla G. Kyrylova, Oleksandr O. Miroshnikov

State University «Academician O. M. Lukyanova Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine», Platona Maiborody Str., 8, Kyiv 04050, Ukraine

Introduction. Today, autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) remain one of the most important and complex problems of modern neuropediatrics and rehabilitation, due to their increasing prevalence in all countries of the world, the complexity of early diagnosis, and the ambiguity of treatment strategies. In separate studies, the positive impact of the system of intensive neurophysiological rehabilitation (INR) according to the method of prof. V.I. Kozyavkin on motor and coordination functions of children with autism spectrum disorders was proved.
The aim of the work is to determine the effectiveness of the system of intensive neurophysiological rehabilitation in children with ASD, as well as to study its influence on the dynamics of language, social and communicative functions in this group of children.
Materials and methods. We observed 55 children with ASD aged 2-6 years (average age 3.80 ± 1.22 years), among them 32 boys and 23 girls. All children had an established diagnosis of ASD, according to the DSM-V criteria and the results of the M-CHAT questionnaire. A comprehensive examination of the state of the children's nervous system was carried out using a generally accepted neurological examination, video-EEG monitoring, brain MRI and MR-tractography.
Results. In most children of the main group, after the end of the treatment course, improvement in all subscales of APEC was noted. On all four scales, the children of the main group managed to achieve higher positive results of treatment compared to the control group. However, compared to the indicators of children in the control group, statistically significant differences were found only on scales I (language, communicative functions) and IV (physical functions, behavior). In the children of the main group, there was a decrease in hyperactivity, improvement in self-control, a decrease in the level of aggression and self-aggression, normalization of muscle tone, improvement in gross and fine motor skills, gait, balance, and posture correction.
Conclusions. The results of our study show that among 55 children with ASD who received treatment using the system of intensive neurophysiological rehabilitation, the majority of patients showed improvement in language, cognitive, and social functions, increased range of motion, and improvement in gross and fine motor skills. Thus, the results of the conducted study showed a positive impact of the INR on the physical, communicative and cognitive functions of children with ASD.
Keywords: system of intensive neurophysiological rehabilitation, V. I. Kozyavkin's method, autistic spectrum disorders, magnetic resonance tractography, rehabilitation.