幼児期の自閉スペクトラム症児を支援する児童福祉領域の作業療法士の役割—テキストマイニングを用いた実態調査の分析

Role of occupational therapists in child welfare in supporting children with autism spectrum disorders in early childhood: Analysis of fact-finding surveys using text mining

要旨：本研究は，幼児期の自閉スペクトラム症児を支援する児童福祉領域の作業療法士（以下，OT）の役割を明らかにすることを目的に，自由記述式の質問紙調査を実施した．テキストマイニングを用いて共起ネットワーク図を作成した結果，「集団活動や遊びの機会の提案」や「作業遂行に基づく介入」「園と連携した子どもの生活支援」など8つのカテゴリーが命名された．これらの内容は，児童発達支援の役割である「本人支援」や「家族支援」「移行支援」及び「地域支援・地域連携」と類似しつつ包括していた．OTは，地域において子どもや家族の生活を支援する専門職として位置づけられ，その役割をOT自身も認識していることが示された．

　The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of occupational therapists (OT) in the child welfare field who support children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in early childhood. A questionnaire with open-ended responses was conducted, and a co-occurrence network diagram was created using text mining. The results showed that the following eight categories were identified, including “Proposal of opportunities to experience group activities and play,”“Intervention based on occupational performance,” and “Life support for children in cooperation with preschools. These findings were consistent with and encompassed the roles associated with child development support, such as “individual support,”“family support,”“transition support,” and “community support and collaboration.” The significance of supporting the lives of children and their families as a central role of OTs in the child welfare domain was highlighted, and the OTs themselves acknowledged this role.