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Clinical Decision Making in Treatment of Learning Disabled Children
Published in Florence S. Cromwell, Chestina Brollier, The Occupational Therapy Manager's Survival Handbook, 2013
Despite a proliferation of general information and reports of research, the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy has been challenged.7,8,9,10,11,12 With such widespread use of sensory integration strategies within the field of occupational therapy and the continual controversy outside of the field surrounding the application and effectiveness of this treatment approach with almost all disability groups, Ottenbacher13 has suggested that occupational therapists exercise caution and strive for specificity in the delivery of sensory integration therapy.
Sensory Development and Motor Control in Infants and Children
Published in Mark De Ste Croix, Thomas Korff, Paediatric Biomechanics and Motor Control, 2013
One of the earliest approaches that viewed deficits in sensory development as a key factor in many childhood disorders was the Sensory Integration Theory of Ayres. Ayres (1972) proposed that some children have difficulty integrating sensory information and as a result of this may have problems with learning, motor control and social interaction. She developed Sensory Integration Therapy in which a child is presented with challenging sensory experiences involving the integration of a variety of sensations, primarily vestibular, kinaesthetic and tactile, which require an adaptive response. As a result of this exposure, it was argued that children increase their ability to integrate sensory information. This approach has been used primarily by occupational therapists on children with disorders such as autism, Asperger’s syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disorders. However, despite its continued popularity over the past four decades, there is limited evidence that it is an effective treatment with little evidence supporting improvements in academic or motor performance, behavioural outcomes or perceptual skills. Based on a meta-analysis of 41 studies evaluating the Sensory Integration Therapy, Shaw (2002) concluded that there is no evidence of improvement in motor or psychoeducational skills as a result of the therapy, with any improvements identified being accounted for by maturational factors.
Frames of Reference: Guiding Treatment for Children with Autism
Published in Jerry A. Johnson, David A. Ethridge, Developmental Disabilities: A Handbook for Occupational Therapists, 2013
Mary Ann L. Bloomer, Catherine C. Rose
In one study, Ayres and Heskett (1972) used tactile and vestibular stimulation with a seven year old girl with autism for a six month treatment period. Post treatment testing showed considerable gains in perceptual-motor skills, auditory-language functions, and reading. Likewise, Wolkowicz, Fish and Schaffer (1977) found that the use of sensory integrative therapy was beneficial to four children with autism in increasing sensory integrative functioning and improving behavioral and social skills after a four month treatment period.
Examining the Relation between Self-reported ASD Symptoms and Sensory Sensitivities from a Community-based Sample of Adults
Published in Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2021
Lucy Barnard-Brak, Laci Watkins, David M. Richman
Several recent review articles have summarized the similarities and differences between (a) sensory-based interventions and strategies, (b) sensory integration therapy, and (c) sensory assessment [cf.]26,30,31 While multiple conceptualizations for sensory sensitivities exist, most notably Dunn’s Sensory Processing Framework32 stands apart.5,33found this model to be one of the most widely used models for examining sensory processing of stimuli. In Dunn’s model, there are four quadrants measured: sensation avoiding, sensory sensitivity, sensation seeking, and low registration.32 However, three of these quadrants are predicated on terming behaviors as avoiding, seeking, and non-response (i.e., registration) to sensations without addressing the function of the repetitive behaviors. Conclusions from Dunn’s framework terming a behavior as sensation seeking or avoiding would be difficult to draw without an FBA being performed,32model does provide useful initial information for practitioners to conceptualize variables that may affect repetitive behavior, but it is limited in the conclusions that can be drawn with respect to behavioral treatment without understanding the function of receptive behavior.
Childhood autism in the UK and Greece: a cross-national study of progress in different intervention contexts
Published in International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2019
Kristi Poppi, Julia Jones, Nicola Botting
According to Green et al. (2006), occupational therapy is among the most frequently requested services by parents of children with autism and it is a treatment widely used in Greece (Stampoltzis et al.2012) but perhaps less so in the UK. Sensory processing difficulties co-occur with other ASD symptoms in more than 80% children (Ben-Sasson et al.2009). Studies suggest that sensory integration therapy for children with autism can be effective, with strong evidence from a small number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of a positive impact on the overall development of children receiving this type of therapy (Fazlioglu and Baran 2008; Iwanaga et al.2014; Schaaf et al.2013). Despite this, a study by Lang et al. (2012) concluded that there is still not enough evidence to support the widespread use of sensory integration therapy. This conclusion is also in line with the findings of a more recent review of sensory processing interventions of children with autism by Case-Smith et al. (2015).
A systematic review and narrative synthesis of occupational therapy-led interventions for individuals with anxiety and stress-related disorders
Published in Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 2019
Jackie Fox, Lena-Karin Erlandsson, Agnes Shiel
The final three studies used theories relating to sensory processing or neurological sensitivity (Bracciano et al., 2012; Champagne, 2011; Moore & Henry, 2002). These were small-scale case studies with methodological shortcomings meaning that the evidence base for these interventions for people with anxiety disorders is not strong. A recent systematic review concluded that sensory integration therapy with children with autism is not supported by research evidence (Lang et al., 2012), and the American Academy of Pediatrics has described evidence for the effectiveness of sensory-based therapies as limited and inconclusive (Zimmer & Desch, 2012). Urgent high-quality research is required to evaluate this type of intervention as it begins to be used with adults with a range of disorders, including anxiety. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation, although implemented by an occupational therapist in the case of Bracciano et al. (2012), is an intervention outside the usual skill set of a qualified occupational therapist. It is a highly mechanistic intervention, falling far down the continuum suggested by Fisher (1998), away from practice focusing on authentic client-chosen occupations in a naturalistic context. Other interventions in this review are based on higher quality studies with the same population and should be given greater consideration in practice (Classen et al., 2014b; Helfrich et al., 2011; Rogers et al., 2014).