Effect of Sensory-Motor Integration Trainings on Executive Functions and Social Interactions of Children with High Functioning Autism Disorder

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that appears in the early years of childhood. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the impact of sensory-motor trainings on the executive functions and social interactions of children with high-functioning autism. Methods: The current research was of semi-experimental type and pre-test-posttest research design with control and experimental groups. The sample consisted of N = 50 boys aged 7 to 12 years with high-functioning autism in Shiraz. A selective sampling approach was used to randomly allocate 50 high-functioning autistic students into experimental and control groups. Initially, a pretest was administered using the Coolidge Personality and Neuropsychological Inventory for Children and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale. Subsequently, the experimental group engaged in 24 sessions of sensory-motor integration trainings three times a week over 8 weeks, while the control group continued with their regular daily activities. Data analysis was performed using covariance analysis. Results: The findings indicated that therapeutic intervention through sensory-motor integration trainings led to significant enhancements in the executive functions and social interactions of children in the experimental group (P ≤ 0.05). Conversely, no improvements were observed in the control group. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that sensory-motor trainings programs can effectively enhance the executive functions and social interactions of children with high-functioning autism.