International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience
Open Access

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is one of the most common disabilities that increased over the last two decades. The prevalence of ASD is between 1% and 2% for all racial groups. Different types of interventions for individuals with ASD were recommended from medical interventions to applied behavioral analysis, developmental and family-based interventions. The interventions have different goals, including improving communication and social skills to training to support family members. Individuals with ASD are more likely to experience failure in their basic capabilities, as described by Nussbaum (2006), including living a normal life expectancy, being healthy, being able to move freely from place to place, being able to experience self-expressive and creative activities, having attachments to people and things, being able to plan for one��?s life, being able to show concern for other human beings and engage in various forms of social life, being able to live with concern for and in relation to the world of nature, being able to laugh, play, to enjoy recreational activities, being to participate effectively in political choices that govern their lives; having the right to political participation and having the right to seek employment on an equal basis with others. Individuals with ASD have needs in the areas covered by all the central human functional capabilities. The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual model of capabilities-based interventions for individuals with ASD. Recent Publications 1. Mousavi T (2017) Central human functional capabilities of children with autism spectrum disorders: a qualitative research. Mental Health in Family Medicine 13:495-501. 2. Nussbaum M (2000) Women and human development: the capabilities approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN-13 978-0-511-33743-7. 3. Martha C Nussbaum (2003) Capabilities as fundamental entitlements: Sen and Social Justice. Feminist Economics 9(23):33-59. 4. Martha C Nussbaum (2006) Frontiers of justice: disability, nationality, species membership. Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674024106.

Biography

Tahmineh Mousavi has joined Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences in February, 2017. Before joining to TUMS, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cognitive Science and Technology Council of Iran and a Visiting Scholar at Centre for Relationship Based Care in the Department of Family Practice at University of British Columbia. She completed her PhD at University of British Columbia in Rehabilitation Sciences. Her research interests include Disability Studies, Health Care Ethics, Health Policy, Global Health, Social Justice, Occupational Therapy, Community Based Rehabilitation, Client Centered Practice, Mental Health, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Qualitative Research.
Email:t.mousavi@alumni.ubc.ca