Touching and Massage in Early Intervention Programs: The Roles of Touching and Massage in Early Intervention

The purpose of this study was to determine what occupational therapists and instructors in early intervention programs know about touching and massage; their personal attitudes about touching and being touched; and their practices regarding the use of touch/massage with infants and children with special needs from 0 to 3 years of age. The analyzes of the data predicted that the more knowledge a participant has about touch, massage, complementary and alternative medicines, the more willing they were to use these interventions in practice. And the reverse was also predicted: where there is an attitude of more touch avoidance a participant would practice touch/massage less often in intervention.