Clinical Nursing Practice Problem
The problem that has been chosen for conducting nursing evidence-based practice is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children and adolescents below 18 years; the chosen clinical priority area is quality. The importance of this problem is obvious, considering the number of ASD patients in the mentioned category and the challenges of the disorder’s treatment. A particular difficulty that appears in dealing with ASD is the requirement of a multidimensional, interdisciplinary approach that implies considering the experience received outside of the field of nursing by specialists in other fields, sometimes not related to the medicine. In this case, the sources chosen as evidence will imply the experience of psychotherapists/art therapists whose practice-based research makes a valuable contribution to the investigation of this matter.
PICOT Elements
- P– (patient population/patients of interest): children and adolescents below 18 years old diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- I– (Intervention): art therapy
- C– (Comparison): not implementing the intervention
- O– (Measurable outcome): social interaction (appearance of the interactive behavior, compared to the absence of it before the treatment)
- T– (Time frame in months): 6 months
Evidence Retrieval Process and Summary
Alter-Muri provides examples of the use of art therapy by the author, providing “examples that integrate theory and practice” (Alter-Muri, 2017, p. 20). The results of personal therapeutic practice are strengthened by referring to multiple sources in the field of psychotherapy. The source is relevant to the current evidence-based research, as it discusses the relation of the absence of social interaction of the young patients affected by ASD to disability to express themselves. Such expression could be achieved through art therapy. Thus, it will make the social adaptation of the patients compared to no implementation of such intervention. This source has been chosen as it is based on the author’s practice and its evaluated results.
Schweizer’s source is valuable for the conducted research as it reviews and systematizes “empirical information ‘that works’ in art therapy with children diagnosed with ASD … covering the period 1985-2012” (Schweizer et al., 2014, p. 577). As the authors state, there is a lack of such systematic information. In this source, the forms of expression through different sensory modalities are investigated separately and in comparison. The source has been chosen as it provides measurable empirical data that could be the evidential base for implementing art therapy in the treatment of ASD patients.
Lith’s source is based on the data provided by surveys from 14 art therapy practitioners in the United States (Lith et al., 2017, p. 78). As it is based on experience, it provides the primary data. On the other hand, all the specialists support their conclusions by theories. All the findings are connected to the problem of the asocial character of the activity of the children with ASD and the ways art therapy works to change their behavioral patterns.
Implications of the Evidence
The evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of applying art therapy in the treatment of children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD. This intervention is important and, at the same time, flexible, as it may be implemented not only in clinics but also in various educational institutions. Although art therapy is usually conducted by psychotherapists and professional art therapists, nurses can implement this activity in their practice as well, having the required knowledge of the subject. The first step toward it is the study of its effectiveness and the reasons for it, as well as the mechanisms of its work. These questions are recommended to be considered as the subjects for further research.
References
Alter-Muri, S. B. (2017). Art education and art therapy strategies for Autism Spectrum Disorder students. Art Education, 70(5), 20-25.
Lith, T. V., Stallings, J. V., & Harris, C. E. (2017). Discovering good practice for art therapy with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder: The results of a small scale survey. The Arts in Psychotherapy 54, 78-84.
Schweizer, C., Knorth, E., & Spreen, M. (2014). Art therapy with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A review of clinical case descriptions on “what works.” The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41(5), 577-593.