A Magic Trick Training Program to Improve Social Skills and Self-Esteem in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

IMPORTANCE: Low social competence is one of the most complex and resistant challenges faced by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Occupational therapy practitioners have recognized the potential benefits of using the arts, including training in magic tricks, as a therapeutic medium to improve and enhance clients' psychosocial well-being. OBJECTIVE: To describe the efficacy of a virtual magic trick training program (MTTP) to enhance social skills and self-esteem in adolescents with ASD. DESIGN: Pragmatic, nonrandomized, wait-list controlled trial with 1-mo follow-up. SETTING: Participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen adolescents (ages 9-15 yr) with ASD participated in the MTTP, 9 in the first cohort and 8 in the second (wait-list control) cohort. INTERVENTION: Participants received magic trick training from occupational therapy students in pairs via videoconferencing in 45-min sessions, 3 days/wk, for 3 wk. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Social Skills Improvement System before and after participating in the program. RESULTS: Between-cohort effect sizes (Cohen's d) were 0.58 for social skills and 0.66 for self-esteem, considered moderate effects. Combining the two cohorts revealed significant improvements in social skills and self-esteem, with gains maintained at 1-mo follow-up. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this study support our hypothesis that adolescents with ASD who participate in the 3-wk virtual MTTP can experience enhanced social skills and self-esteem. What This Article Adds: Learning magic tricks through individual coaching from occupational therapy students in a virtual environment can enhance the social skills and self-esteem of adolescents with ASD.

Evaluation of a Magic Camp for Children with Hemiparesis: A Pilot Study.

This single-group open trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a two-week magic camp as a means of hand-arm motor skills training to improve upper limb motor function (unilateral and bilateral) in children with hemiparesis. Seven children with hemiparesis participated in a magic camp program which met 3 days a week, 4 hours each day, for two consecutive weeks for a total of 24 hours. Participants completed three assessments at the beginning of the camp, post-camp, and at a three-month follow-up: the Jebsen Hand Function Test (JHFT), Children's Hand Experience Questionnaire (CHEQ), and a box opening task that required coordination of both upper limbs. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant improvement in JHFT composite scores of the affected limb at post-camp (p = .04) and three-month follow-up (p = .04). In addition, a significant improvement in the number of activities performed using two hands from baseline to three-month follow-up was observed (p = .03). This pattern of improvement was also observed in the speed of completion for the box opening task. The improvement in motor function seems related to the participants' continuing performing daily activities with the affected hand and two hands after the magic camp.

The Impact of an Expressive Writing and Storytelling Program on Ex-Offenders: A Pilot Study.

While storytelling or expressive writing has been studied in prisoners, little is known about the impact of these art interventions on ex-offenders. This study aims to evaluate a 6-week expressive writing and storytelling program in a group of nine ex-offenders who attend a peer support group. Quantitative data, including psychological recovery, well-being, hope, social support, and loneliness, was collected at baseline and post-program. Individual interviews were conducted at post-program. Results revealed a significant increase in participants' psychological recovery as measured by the Recovery Assessment Scale-revised at post-program with an effect size of 0.56. Three themes about participation in the program emerged: safe space for processing and expressing inner feelings, relating to and connecting with peers, and adjusting the way of thinking. Findings showed this program has the potential to improve ex-offenders' psychological recovery, and provide them with skills to desist from crime and be better serve as peer support workers.

Effects of a coach-guided video-conferencing expressive writing program on facilitating grief resolution in adults with SCI.

OBJECTIVE: To examine effects of a videoconferencing coach-guided expressive writing program on facilitating grief resolution in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: One group pretest - posttest design with a 1-month follow-up. SETTING: Home-based videoconferencing. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four adults with SCI. INTERVENTIONS: 10 weekly 1-hour videoconferencing sessions in which participants engaged in expressive writing guided by writing coaches, either individually or in small groups. OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-report questionnaires on measures of grief, emotional distress, depression, stress, trouble falling asleep, meaning and purpose, self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions, ability to participate in social roles and activities, and satisfaction with social roles and activities. RESULTS: Immediately after completing the program, participants showed significant reductions in measures of severity of grief, trouble falling asleep, and trouble participating in social roles and activities and significant increases in self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions and satisfaction with social roles and activities. Participants maintained benefits at 1-month follow-up, showing significant reductions in measures of severity of grief, trouble falling asleep, and distress related to different difficulties and significant increases in feelings of meaning and purpose in life compared to their scores at pre-program. Post-hoc analysis showed that participants whose injury was sustained within 5 years of study enrollment had significant reductions in change scores of distress and trouble participating in social roles and activities compared to those whose injuries were sustained more than 5 years before the study began. CONCLUSION: The videoconferencing coach-guided expressive writing program helps adults with SCI reduce grief intensity and trouble falling asleep and produces a sustained effect. People who sustained a more recent injury seemed to gain more benefits from the program than those whose injuries occurred less recently.Trial Registration: NCT04721717.

Contribution of a virtual magic camp to enhancing self-esteem in children with ADHD: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been reported to experience low self-esteem. Magic, a performing art, when used therapeutically, has been shown to enhance self-esteem in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, there is a paucity of evaluation studies using this intervention applied to children with ADHD. PURPOSE: This single-group study aims to describe the effectiveness of a virtual summer magic camp program to enhance self-esteem in children and adolescents with ADHD. METHOD: Six children with ADHD, age 8.6-14.3 years, who participated in a virtual magic camp program for children with disabilities, were included in this study. The camp met 3 days a week, about 45 min to an hour each session, over four consecutive weeks for a total of 9 to 12 hours. Participants completed the assessments before the beginning of the camp and post-camp. In addition, participants and their parents were individually interviewed to explore their camp experience at the post-camp data point. RESULTS: A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at post-magic camp, median=21.5, were significantly higher than the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at baseline, median=19.5, with z=2.23, p=.026. The effect size of the virtual magic camp on self-esteem was .64, which is considered moderate. Findings were validated by the participants describing gains in self-esteem after participation in the magic camp and by the parents' statements regarding the positive impact on their child's psychological well-being. DISCUSSION: This study supported the hypothesis that children with ADHD who participated in a four-week virtual magic camp experienced enhanced self-esteem. Future studies should investigate the holistic impact of magic camps on children and adolescents with ADHD and include measures that tap into other psychosocial attributes such as social functioning, social skills, and self-efficacy.

The 'magic' of magic camp from the perspective of children with hemiparesis.

Previous studies have examined the quantitative results of using an organized approach of teaching and learning magic tricks-a therapeutic magic camp-but set aside the qualitative aspect. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the interpretation of the lived experience of children with hemiparesis after they have participated in a therapeutic magic camp. Six children, aged between 11 and 14 years old, with hemiparesis who completed the magic camp program 3 months prior were invited to participate in an in-person individual semistructured interview. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for content analysis. Results from the initial qualitative analysis yielded categories of enjoyment, positive social and learning experience from participation in the camp, increased confidence, and self-motivation to use the affected upper limb. These categories were grouped into two themes: "having fun with others while learning" and "helping my arm perform." Having fun with others while learning was an amalgamation of fun, and positive social and learning experience. Helping my arm perform reflected a sense of increased competence and self-belief, and a willingness and motivation of the children to attempt challenging daily activities. The lived experiences of children with hemiplegia who participated in an organized delivery of learning to perform magic tricks yield-ed positive outcomes. These themes are consistent with the limited literature that is available suggesting that further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of the therapeutic magic camp intervention.

Development and Validation of the Hocus Focus Magic Performance Evaluation Scale for Health Professions Personnel in the United States.

PUPROSE: This study is to describe the development and validation of the Hocus Focus Magic Performance Evaluation Scale (HFMPES) which is used to evaluate the competency of health professions personnel in delivering magic tricks as a therapeutic modality. METHODS: A two-phase validation process was used. Phase I content validation involved 16 magician judges who independently rated the relevance of each of the five items in the HFMPES and established the veracity of its content. Phase II was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the HFMPES. This process involved 2 magicians using the HFMPES to independently evaluate 73 occupational therapy graduate students demonstrating three magic tricks. RESULTS: The HFMPES achieved an excellent scale-content validity index of .99. Exploratory factor analysis of the HFMPES scores revealed one distinct factor with alpha coefficients ≥.8 across the three magic tricks. The construct validity of the HFMPES scores was further supported by the evidence from the known-groups analysis in which Mann-Whitney U test showed significant difference in HFMPES scores between participants with different levels of experience in delivering the three magic tricks. The inter-rater reliability coefficients were ≥.75 across the three magic tricks, which indicated that evaluation of the competency of health professions personnel in delivering the three magic tricks can be evaluated precisely. CONCLUSION: Preliminary evidence supported the content and construct validity of the HFMPES with good internal consistency and inter-rate reliabilities in evaluating health professions personnel's competency in delivering magic tricks.

A Performing Arts Intervention Improves Cognitive Dysfunction in 50 Hospitalized Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Arts in medicine programs have emerged as a patient-centered approach that aims to improve health-related quality of life for patients in U.S. hospitals. Storytelling and poetry/monologue recitation are forms of arts-based experiences designed to enhance healing and are delivered by an artist-in-residence. We evaluated the effect of a storytelling/poetry experience on delirium screening scores and patient satisfaction in hospitalized older adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted an observational pre-post study with a control group in the Acute Care for the Elders (ACE) unit at an academic medical center. A convenience sample of 50 participants was recruited to participate and complete two questionnaires measuring pain, anxiety, general well-being, and distress at hospital admission and at hospital discharge. Multivariable regression models were used to compare delirium screening score (primary outcome) between the control and intervention groups and to adjust for the differences in baseline characteristics between groups. RESULTS: At baseline participants in the intervention group were younger and had significantly lower cognitive impairment compared with those in the control group. Participants exposed to the storytelling/poetry intervention had a lower delirium screening score at hospital discharge compared with those in the control group. The result remained significant after adjusting for age, baseline cognitive impairment, and general well-being. Participants in the intervention group reported a high level of satisfaction with the interaction with the artist delivering the intervention. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: An artist in residence-delivered storytelling/poetry experience was associated with a lower delirium score at discharge in this pilot study. Further larger studies in diverse inpatient settings are needed to examine whether storytelling/poetry interventions or other types of arts in medicine programs can prevent or reduce delirium in hospitalized older adults.