Otizm Spektrum Bozukluğu Tanılı Çocukların Duyusal İşlemleme Becerilerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the autism severity levels and sensory processing skills of the children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder applied to the language and speech therapy clinics, to identify the relationship between assessed areas and to find out whether they need occupational therapy in the light of sensory profile results. Material and Methods: Fifty three children aged 3-9 years with autism spectrum disorder were included in the study. The sociodemographic data of the children who applied to Biruni University Language and Speech Therapy Clinics with language and speech problems were recorded. Then, Gilliam Autistic Disorder Rating Scale-2 Turkish Version (GARS-2 TV), Test of Early Language Development-Third Edition:Turkish (TELD-3:T) and Sensory Profile Test were applied. SPSS 22.0 package program was used for evaluation of the data. The hypothesis was two tailed and p<0.05 was accepted as significant. Results: According to the statistical analysis results, there were statistically significant relationships between Sensory Profile Test sections' scores such as 'sensory processing', 'behavioral and emotional responses', 'modulation' and GARS-2 sections' scores such as 'standard communication', 'standard social interaction', 'standard stereotype', 'autistic disorder index' (p<0.05). Conclusion: Sensory processing/integration difficulties may be one of the reasons underlying the social interactional difficulties of individuals with non-verbal autism. In our study, it was concluded that children with autism spectrum disorder who applied to speech and language therapy clinics had severe language problems and poor sensory processing skills. In the light of these findings, not only language problems but also the sensory processing skills should be assessed. Further comprehensive studies should be planned to assess the relationship between sensory processing, autism level and language-speech skills.