Lam Wendy, Wong Karen W, Fulks Mary-Ann, Holsti Liisa
Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Can J Occup Ther. 2008 Oct;75(4):249-54. doi: 10.1177/000841740807500413.
Obsessional slowness is a rare psychiatric disorder with few treatment options and limited research to date. Some suggest that targeted behavioural interventions may reduce the time taken for functional daily activities.
To examine whether a behavioural intervention would reduce the amount of time taken for an adolescent with obsessional slowness to walk to class.
A single-subject A-B-A withdrawal design was incorporated into this case study. The treatment involved one-to-one pacing and prompting during the subject's walk to gym class. Walking times to gym class were measured during a baseline phase, during a one-month treatment phase, and during a post-treatment follow-up phase.
The subject's walking times decreased during the treatment phase. Post-treatment walking times suggested a carry-over effect.
This study adds to the sparse evidence on treatments for obsessional slowness and suggests occupation-based treatment options.
