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Holding Therapy and Autism Ranking: Mildly Hazardous Insufficient/Mixed evidence

Cost and Time

Cost

The costs of using holding therapy will depend to a large extent on whether the mother uses the services of a facilitator and/or purchases any support materials. We have been unable to identify the costs of using a facilitator or purchasing support materials.

Time

Holding can be as short as a few minutes, but it can also last for hours at a time, depending on how long it takes the child to surrender.

According to Welch and Chaput (1988),

“A typical holding session takes at least one hour to progress from the beginning through the rejection phase and on through the resolution. “

They go on to say that, in their study, the children were held an average of five times per week for average of 11 months.  They also reported,

“The degree of improvement correlates with the amount of mother-child holding performed at home in between regular therapy sessions with the therapist.”

Updated
17 Jun 2022
Last Review
01 Oct 2016
Next Review
01 Feb 2023