Background. In children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), sensori-motor development and functional skills in activities of daily living (ADL) remain little explored in comparison to the other domains of development. Objectives. To determine the impact of sensori-motor skills on functional skills in ADL of preschool children with ASD, and to examine their type of sensory responses, their motor skills and their functional skills in ADL. Methods. This project is a pilot and cross-sectional study. Thirty-five children with ASD, three to four years of age, have been recruited and assessed. Control groups are also included: eight children with developmental delay (DD) and five children with typical development (TD). A battery of diagnostic and clinical tests was used. Results. ASD and DD groups have significantly more atypical sensory responses than the TD group as measured by the Sensory Profile. The ASD group has significantly poorer motor skills than controls (TD and DD) based on the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales --2nd edition (PDMS-2). Self-care skills of the ASD group fall below 2 standard deviations (SD) on the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM). Daily living skills (DLS) of the ASD group are significantly poorer than controls on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales -- Second Edition (VABS-II). The largest percentage of variability in self-care skills, as measured by the WeeFIM, is explained by cognitive functioning and auditory processing, while personal skills, as measured by the VABS-II, are predicted by fine motor skills and sensory avoiding. Conclusion. Pre-school children with ASD, but also children with DD, react differently to sensory stimuli than typically developing children. Also, children with ASD have significantly poorer motor skills than DD and TD children. These sensory and motor difficulties affect the functional skills in ADL. Therefore, it will be important clinically to individually assess and consider sensori-motor and functional skills in ADL of children with ASD. Future interventions may then aim at improving and supporting the development and autonomy of these children. In turn this may assist caregivers by reducing their care load. / Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, sensory responses, motor skills, functional skills, activities of daily living
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.101853 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Jasmin, Emmanuelle. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (School of Physical and Occupational Therapy.) |
| Rights | © Emmanuelle Jasmin, 2007 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002653289, proquestno: AAIMR38404, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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