This research aimed to determine the effect of educating parents on Regulatory Sensory Processing Disorder (RSPD) and implementing an Ayers-SI sensory diet over a two-week period. Twelve infants who met the criteria for RSPD were subdivided into two groups: 7-12 and 13-24 months. The data was obtained from a telephonic interview and completion of the Infant Toddler Symptom Checklist (ITSC). Following the two-week intervention, the ITSC was completed again and results were compared using the Wilcoxin Signed Rank Test. Although the research sample was small, findings indicate that the Ayers-SI sensory diet was effective in reducing signs of fussiness. The research group showed a significant change (p=0.0024) over the two-week period, with a greater change evident in the 7-12 month group. Selfregulation and attachment showed the most significant change. Difficulties with sensory processing for example, tactile, vestibular and auditory sensitivities appeared to persist, indicating a possible need for direct sensory integrative therapy to address them. In addition, the findings indicate that there is a lack of referral for Ayers-SI occupational therapy. This research adds value to the body of research which indicates the need for early intervention for possible prevention of later developmental difficulties.

There is a paucity of research regarding autistic adults, yet as autistic individuals grow to adulthood, they are often met with several barriers because of their differences from the neurotypical (NT) population. Given the demands of adult social interaction, some of the social difficulties experienced by autistic adults are likely related to emotion processing and prosody function. With sensory processing differences added as a diagnostic criterion for autism within the last decade, an investigation into its relationship with emotional processing, another marked difficulty for this population, is warranted. There are logical connections between sensory processing, emotion, and prosody, such that an individual is required to detect the slight variations in pitch, stress, and pausing of prosody and have a typical and functional understanding of emotion to be able to comprehend the full meaning behind the prosodic cues of a speaker. Additionally, a speaker needs to understand these same sensory and emotional aspects in order to express typical prosody and have their full message, spoken and unspoken, be received by the listener. Thus, we hypothesized that there would be positive relationships between emotion, sensory processing, and prosody difficulties, and that sensory processing would act as a mediator between emotion and prosody. This study involved an online survey (n = 639) and an in-person component (n = 51) of NT and autistic young adults aged 18-27. Participants completed questionnaires and behavioral measures related to emotion, sensory processing, and prosody. Results revealed positive relationships between the three constructs and that sensory processing (especially auditory processing) was, indeed, a mediator between emotion and prosody. An exploratory analysis between males and females revealed no difference in prosody perception or production but differences in the role emotion plays in the above model between the sexes. This study provides a potential bridge between the NT and autistic communities and clinical implications for working with autistic individuals or those who express autistic traits.

On August 31, 2020 the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) published the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF), 4th edition. In this edition, interoception has been added under sensory functions (AOTA, 2020, p.3). In a recent survey of occupational therapists (Appendix A), while 79% of respondents were familiar with the term interoception, their definitions of interoception varied widely. Only 21% of respondents used an assessment tool to consider interoceptive function in their practice. Meanwhile 84% believed that knowing more about interoception would change the way they evaluate and intervene in occupational therapy practice. If we, as a profession, believe that interoception is important enough to include in our practice framework, it is imperative that occupational therapy practitioners heed this gap in knowledge to practice translation and utilize educational resources to benefit from practice reinforced by recent research (which suggests that interoception processes underlie many of the client factors occupational therapy addresses). This project seeks to facilitate occupational therapy practitioner’s as they embrace this addition to our practice framework worldwide. This will be accomplished through development of an educational program of online learning modules steeped in evidence-based research to provide practitioners with the most current information about interoception and how it applies to occupational therapy. Utilizing the brand new OTPF-4, occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) can uniquely consider client factors and domain specific areas with an overlay of interoceptive relevancy. / 2023-05-14T00:00:00Z

Sensory integration based paediatric occupational therapists working in schools commonly function with a dual role of providing the child with therapy to assist the child to function optimally as well as act as consultants in assisting teachers to develop strategies to help promote the classroom performance of students with sensory processing difficulties. A single-group pre test post test quasi-experimental research design was used in this pilot study on a convenient sample of 11 participants to explore the effects before and after exposure to the intervention of a sensory diet on the in-seat behaviours of the child and determine whether the desirable sensory input is effective in improving the performance of children with sensory processing difficulties during a handwriting lesson. The behaviours showing the highest trend of improvement in the hypothesized direction included less distractibility and trend of work ethos related behaviours (not giving up easily and completing the task; being less impulsive, not working too fast, better planning; better able to initiate and carry tasks out independently). Trends of various in-seat behaviours (restless, overactive and fidgety, disorganized on self and in his work, difficulty in getting down to his work, slow to complete a task) to regress in the hypothesized direction were also noted. Descriptive and statistical analysis was performed to examine trends in changes of pre- and post-intervention behavioural scores. The data were also analysed using Poisson’s regression to the normal distribution to calculate p values (using a chisquared distribution) to compare the number of observations in a period of time intervals. Implications of the results of the study for therapists working with students with sensory processing difficulties and their teachers are discussed.

Kontorslandskap är en vanligt förekommande kontorsdesign och fördelar och nackdelar med att arbeta i sådan miljö är oklara. Syften med denna studie var att a) undersöka hur individer upplever att arbeta i kontorslandskap och vad det kan ha för konsekvenser för hälsa och arbetsvillkor, och b) undersöka deras grad av känslighet i förhållande till kontorslandskap, hälsa och arbetsvillkor. Studenter vid Beckmans designhögskola deltog i studien genom att fylla i en enkät. Resultaten visade att upplevelse av kontorslandskap var relaterat till anspänning av arbete och arbetstillfredsställelse men inte till sensory-processing sensitivitet vilket är delvis i linje med tidigare forskning. Att uppleva kontorslandskap som positivt kan kopplas till högre arbetstillfredsställelse och lägre anspänning av arbetet. Att ha en hög grad av sensitivitet kunde även kopplas till sämre mental hälsa och välbefinnande. Slutsatsen som drogs var att kontorslandskap tycks gynna individer i vissa typer av arbetsprocesser, men att det krävs vidare forskning för vad som ligger bakom upplevelsen av kontorslandskap.

Introduction: The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) released guidelines for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Diagnosis (FASD) in 2005 that attempted to equalize diagnostic practices across Canada. A multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental assessment is expected and the occupational therapist must assess soft neurological signs, which includes sensory processing and motor development. In 2007, Northwest Partnership for FASD Research gathered a panel of OTs to consult on assessment tools who chose the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) as the main sensory processing assessment tool. Methods: Six qualitative interviews were completed for data collection. The inclusion criterion for the participants were involvement with a FASD diagnostic team and familiarity with the SSP. Qualitative data from the interviews was coded for likeness and analyzed for themes. Results: Three main themes developed from this research including: “Uncertainties about the FASD Diagnostic Process”, “Questioning the Validity of the Assessment Tool SSP” and “Strengths of the SSP”. The overaching theme that emerged was that the participants were attempting to find balance in many different ways throughout their assessments. While participants predominantly focused on concerns, they also indicated that the SSP is our best option at this time. Conclusions: Participants were not completely satisfied with using the SSP for FASD diagnostic assessments but will continue to use it. It was suggested that the panel of occupational therapists should reconvene and consider further options for assessment of sensory processing for FASD diagnostic assessments. There were also considerations for occupational therapy university education and continuing education.

Rationale: Previous studies have reported low employment rates for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The challenges to finding and maintaining work have been attributed to their social, communication, behavioural and sensory processing difficulties. Numerous studies report that children with ASD experience abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, whereas estimates for adults remain unclear. Furthermore, little is known about how sensory processing patterns affect employment. Objectives: The purposes of this study were a) to describe the self-reported sensory processing patterns in high-ability adults with ASD and compare them to adults without ASD; and b) to explore the role that sensory processing patterns play in the workplace for high-ability adults with ASD. Methods: A sequential mixed methods approach was used. In Phase I, 20 participants with and 20 without ASD completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) and employment details. In Phase II, 10 of the 20 participants with ASD described their work experiences during phone interviews. Participants with ASD were recruited from autism societies in Ontario and Québec. Results: Significant differences were found in all four subscales of the AASP between the high-ability adults with ASD and those without ASD. The adults with ASD obtained significantly higher scores on the Low Registration, Sensation Avoiding and Sensory Sensitivity subscales than the comparison group, and significantly lower scores on Sensation Seeking. Approximately half of the adults with ASD were employed, but few were experiencing sustained employment. Participants described using avoidant, replacement and preventative coping strategies to overcome overwhelming sensations at work. Enhanced sensory processing had the potential to improve work performance. Participants chose alternative work environments based on their sensory preferences and challenges. Disclosing their ASD diagnosis proved to be a delicate process, resulting in differential consequences on accommodations and workplace relationships. Conclusions: High-ability adults with ASD displayed different sensory processing patterns compared to individuals without ASD. Most of these adults showed an awareness of their sensory needs. Sensory processing patterns impacted on work choice, performance and satisfaction. Accommodations that modified the physical environment and occupational tasks promoted an optimal work fit for individuals with sensory issues. Self-employment offered a means of self-accommodation. / Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2009-08-28 14:26:16.084

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Several models of anxiety in autistic adults have focused on the role of intolerance of uncertainty which has biological and evolutionary bases, as a cognitive explanation for the high prevalence of anxiety in autism. This framework suggests that all people are born with a healthy level of intolerance of uncertainty, and as we develop, this intolerance is lessened as we learn when situations are safe and begin to understand and manage the uncertainty. This process of learning about managing uncertainty does not happen in the same way in those who are high in autistic traits, which could be the reason for the high levels of anxiety symptoms commonly seen in this population. We conducted two path analyses to examine the role of intolerance of uncertainty in anxiety in autistic adults. The first model tested the idea that intolerance of uncertainty, an evolutionary phenomenon common for all people, could explain some of the cognitive aspects of anxiety in autism. The second model suggests that primary neurodevelopmental differences associated with autistic traits underlie the sensory sensitivity and sensory seeking behaviors, which in turn increase intolerance of uncertainty and subsequent anxiety. We found that the “neurodevelopmental” model had better model fit than the “evolutionary stress” model, suggesting that the neurodevelopmental impact of higher levels of autistic traits could moderate a neurotypical trajectory of learning to manage uncertainty as children develop and understand that uncertainty is common and acceptable.

Autistic people frequently experience sensory processing difficulties. For many on the autism spectrum, such difficulties can significantly impact important functions and quality of life. We are only beginning to understand the neural mechanisms of atypical sensory processing. However, one established way to measure certain levels of auditory processing is with auditory brainstem responses (ABR). While ABR has been primarily hypothesized in the current literature as a means of early detection/diagnosis in autism, additional research is needed to determine the ABR’s utility in examining sensory processing in this population. Thus, we evaluated ABR in 19 young children with autism during various stimulus (click and tone burst) and intensity conditions by comparing ABR waveform characteristics, such as absolute peak latencies and amplitudes, inter-peak latencies (IPL), inter-aural latency differences (IAD) between age-matched groups of autistic and typically developing children. We also examined within ear waveform cross correlations and inter-aural cross correlations (IACC) to assess replicability and synchrony of participants’ auditory brainstem responses. Though we observed longer peak latencies (esp. wave III and V) and IPLs in both the autism and typically developing groups in different conditions, there were no statistically significant results in cross correlation or IACC. These results indicate that at the level of the brainstem, auditory processing may differ slightly, but is mostly similar between autistic and typically developing children. In terms of sensory processing in autism, future studies should examine the connection between ABR responses and behavioral measures of sensory processing, as well as function at more central levels of the auditory system.