Understanding these neurodevelopmental disorders will help oral health professionals provide safe and effective care.

Being knowledgeable about sensory processing disorders can help dental teams provide effective care and improve the oral health of this patient population.

The purpose of the study was to explore sensory processing patterns with children ages 5 to 12 years who are diagnosed with two subtypes of ADHD, inattention and hyperactive- impulsive and with children who do not have ADHD. The study delineated children with ADHD from a control group of children without ADHD and how sensory processing issues affect the population with ADHD. The participants were parents or caregivers of children aged 5 to 12 years diagnosed with ADHD and parents or caregivers of children aged 5 to 12 years without a diagnosis of ADHD. The participants totaled 45 with 26 participants in the ADHD group and 19 participants in the non ADHD group. Parents or caregivers completed the SSP Caregiver Questionnaire, the Sensory Processing Measure [SPM], and the Connors Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form. The independent t-test was the statistical procedure used to determine whether the means of the ADHD and non-ADHD groups were statistically different from each other. A Pearson correlation was calculated to measure the degree of association between the children with ADHD and non-ADHD with the types of sensory processing patterns. Finding suggested that children who score high on these ADHD scales have more sensory processing difficulties. Children with hyperactivity ADHD scored a significantly higher mean then children with inattention on an auditory subtest and on a under responsive subtest. Children with inattentive ADHD scored a significantly higher mean than children with hyperactivity on a touch subtest. / Occupational Therapy

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Anne E. Beamish / The purpose of this research was to develop a mobile sensory garden to help children with Sensory Integration Disorders. Sensory Integration (SI) is how an individual processes sensory information. Issues with sensory integration can lead to behavioral disorders, which can cause difficulties with social-emotional skills, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, play skills, and self-help skills. The goal of the project was to develop a mobile sensory garden to help alleviate or reduce the negative aspects of Sensory Integration Disorders. The research involved qualitative research, projective design, and evaluative research on a mobile sensory cart that was used in an elementary school in Topeka, Kansas. Methods included: interviews, design/build, and observation. The current sensory room was inventoried in Williams Science & Fine Arts Elementary Magnet School in Topeka, Kansas, and the children who used were observed. The faculty at the school, including the principal, teachers whose students use the current sensory room, counselors, and other support faculty, were interviewed. Once the observations were analyzed, a mobile sensory garden cart was designed and built. The new cart was brought to the elementary school and placed in the sensory room. A second phase of observation assessed how the children interacted with the new mobile sensory garden cart. During the second phase of observation the children showed intense interest in the mobile sensory garden cart. Some of this can be attributed to it being a new item in the sensory room. Some of the most popular items included the zen garden, wood slices on the wooden dowel, and the plants. In the second week children transitioned to using both the sensory garden cart and the original items in the sensory room. When an item on the sensory garden cart best suited their needs, that item was chosen and when their needs were best suited by other items in the room then that item was chosen. Overall the mobile sensory garden cart was beneficial to the school and the children. It can be easily replicated and modified to fit the individual needs of the children and school.

One out of every twenty children in school is affected, in significant ways, in classrooms across our nation by sensory processing disorders (SPD) (Nodding, 2017). In classrooms where students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are present, that number rises even higher because almost 100% of students with ASD experience SPD (Murray, Baker, Murray-Slutsky & Paris, 2009). Teachers must understand the unique needs of students with SPD in order to create environments where students feel comfortable to learn in every day. Optimal learning for students with SPD requires an environment that supports and assists them to effectively and systematically organize and understand the information they are taught. Unfortunately, most classrooms present sensory challenges that can be frustrating or even overwhelming for students diagnosed with SPD. The daily negative experience at school often adds more stress for these students due to their social interactions and how they regulate emotions (Lytle and Todd, 2009).<div><br></div><div>There are two purposes of the study: 1) general education teachers’ use of interventions to support students with ASD and SPD was examined to determine what worked most effectively in their classrooms, and (2) general education teachers’ perception of barriers for implementing research-based strategies was examined in order to identify potential problems in creating supportive environments for students with ASD and SPD in the general education classroom. Eighteen teachers participated in the study at a private school with 335 students in a suburban area. The survey included 8 questions about the effectiveness of sensory interventions for students with ASD and/or SPD at school.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The result of this study showed that the majority of teachers want to be supportive to students diagnosed with SPD. Seventeen teachers (94%) expressed a concern for students who may feel overwhelmed by providing some variation of a calming area within their classroom Concerning the use of flexible seating, 6 teachers (33%) responded that they do not offer flexible seating, and 3 teachers (17%) indicated it was the least effective intervention they offered students. These responses could indicate that there is misunderstanding concerning the use of flexible seating and how to effectively implement it within the general education classroom. Another notable result is that 7 general education teachers (39%) indicated they lacked the space to provide a calming area for students in their classrooms.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The result of the current study supports the findings in previous research that there is a need for teachers to be more knowledgeable about how to create classrooms that offer support, effective strategies for students diagnosed with SPD. A handbook was created for general education and special education teachers based on the result of the present survey study and findings in previous studies. This handbook focuses on clear explanations of the unique stresses that students with SPD face, with the hope that if teachers have a clearer understanding about the needs of these students, they will be inspired to consistently offer research-proven strategies to support and encourage their students who face unique challenges in the school environment every day. <br></div>

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OF DIPLOMA THESIS Author: Bc. Veronika Husovská Supervisor: Mgr. Petra Dvořáková Title: Standardized assessment of sensory disorders in school aged children Summary: The thesis deals with problems of sensory processing disorders in school aged children. The aim of this diploma thesis is to create a working version of the standardized questionnaire Sensory Profile 2 School companion. Another aim is to verify the clinical applicability of this standardized questionnaire by using it to do a screening on school aged children to identify those with a sensory processing disorder within the classroom. The theoretical part of the thesis is focused on the diagnosis of sensory processing disorders (SPD), their diagnostics and the roles of an occupational therapist in SPD. Diagnostic tools for detecting SPD are presented and described in the thesis. The standardized questionnaire Sensory Profile 2, mainly the category School companion, is presented in this thesis. Methods: The practical part of the diploma thesis is elaborated in the form of quantitative pre-research. 39 respondents were evaluated by a standardized questionnaire Sensory Profile 2 School companion for the purpose of pre-research. The respondents were chosen in accordance to the tests purpose. Respondents were third-grade students studying...