P3B.19: The sensory profile of children with Intestinal Failure

Abstract

Introduction: Sensory responses are shaped by a person’s experiences. A child’s sensory processing patterns may support and/or interfere with skill development and functional performance. Children with intestinal failure (IF) endure physical and psychological hardship from a young age that may impact sensory processing. We studied the sensory profile of children with IF. Methods:The Sensory Profile 2, a validated questionnaire-based tool, was used to evaluate processing patterns in the context of everyday life in children with IF (on home PN>3 months). An occupational therapist met with parents to apply the tool to a sample of children from two centres (Alberta Children’s Hospital, Canada, and Hopital Necker-Enfants Malades, France). The assessed sensory domains included: seeking, avoiding, sensitivity, registration, auditory, visual, touch, movement, body position, oral, conduct, emotional expression, and attentional responses. Individual scores were compared with normative data to determine z-scores. Results: Preliminary data for n=30 subjects, median age 5.0 (range 1.3, 14.6) years, included IF diagnoses of short bowel syndrome (n=18), chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (n=3) and other (n=9). A developmental diagnosis was noted in 7% of subjects. The sensory domains for which >20% of subjects had z-scores > +2.0 are listed in table 1. Compared to the normal reference data, 20% of the group avoided sensory input at higher rates, while 20% were “sensors” reacting more quickly and intensely to sensory input. Sensitivity to oral touch and taste were higher than average in almost half the children. Among 15–35 month olds, 27% rated with z-scores > +2.0 for general sensory. Among >3 year olds, 26% expressed strong emotional responses with sensory processing. Conclusions: Preliminary data suggests that a proportion of children with IF have sensory processing issues including oral sensory processing problems. Determining protective factors among those who do not develop oral sensitivity merits further study. Children with IF should undergo assessment of their sensory responses, and prevention strategies for sensory dysregulation in this population need to be developed.