An intervention for sensory difficulties in children with autism: a randomized trial.

Roseann C Schaaf,Regina Freeman,Teal Benevides,Patricia Faller,Benjamin Leiby,Jocelyn Sendecki,Donna Kelly,Joanne Hunt,Zoe Mailloux,Elke Van Hooydonk

doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1983-8

Abstract

This study evaluated a manualized intervention for sensory difficulties for children with autism, ages 4–8 years, using a randomized trial design. Diagnosis of autism was confirmed using gold standard measures. Results show that the children in the treatment group (n = 17) who received 30 sessions of the occupational therapy intervention scored significantly higher (p = 0.003, d = 1.2) on Goal Attainment Scales (primary outcome), and also scored significantly better on measures of caregiver assistance in self-care (p = 0.008 d = 0.9) and socialization (p = 0.04, d = 0.7) than the Usual Care control group (n = 15). The study shows high rigor in its measurement of treatment fidelity and use of a manualized protocol, and provides support for the use of this intervention for children with autism. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for practice and future research.

Highlights

Difficulty processing, integrating and responding to sensory stimuli has been described as a feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) since the disorder was first identified
Given the need for a rigorous randomized trial of OT/ SI for individuals with ASD, the primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of OT/SI following a manualized protocol on individual goal attainment in comparison to usual care (UC)
Our main goal was to evaluate the effects of the intervention on parent-reported, individual goal attainment using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS)

Summary

Introduction

Difficulty processing, integrating and responding to sensory stimuli has been described as a feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) since the disorder was first identified. A validated measure of treatment fidelity that describes the key principles of the sensory integrative approach and provides guidelines for best practice is available (Parham et al 2011, 2007; May-Benson et al, in press). This measure provides a means to evaluate the fidelity of OT/SI in a clinical trial while assuring internal and external validity; a standard that is followed in the current study

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion