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Abstract
This research designed a peer-mediated play programme for reducing anxiety for children aged 4 to 6 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on a scoping review in preparation of a systematic literature review. Specifically, the research sought to identify the prevalence of concurrent anxiety disorders and autism spectrum disorder, and the needs of children with comorbid anxiety and ASD. The methodology utilised a scoping review of the literature regarding the available non-pharmacological play-based intervention to reduce anxiety in children with concurrent anxiety and ASD. Six databases were selected, and search terms included “autism“, “anxiety”, “worry”, “children”, “intervention”, “group”, “therapy”, “peer”, “lego”, “duplo”, and “play therapy”. Results showed that the majority of the approaches were cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (41), one Lego-Based Therapy, and eight play-based approaches. This paper will report on the effectiveness of the eight other approaches which has never been discussed. Based on these findings, we propose an innovative, overarching group intervention to be conducted in school settings. This research makes a valuable contribution to knowledge in the area of early intervention and ASD studies. It expands the scope of Universal Design by applying a UDL framework to early intervention. It also proposes an overarching framework to place children in their bio-ecological context and incorporate neurodiversity, contributing to Hong Kong, Ireland and beyond.