Abstract
In recent years, sensory-integration therapy has emerged as one of the most popular treatments for aggressive behavior in children with different disorders. This article is devoted to an experimental study aimed at determining the effects of sensory-integration therapy on the aggressive behavior of children with multiple disabilities. Eighteen children participated in the study. The registration of the children's behavioral responses for 24 consecutive school days allowed the collection of evidence in support of the thesis in the study. The individual child’s frequency of aggressive behaviors in four domains was recording on 12 days while undergoing sensory-integrative therapy and 12 days without a treatment with sensory-integrative techniques. The following methods were used in the analysis of the results: Paired samples t-tests to test the four null hypotheses, a Shaprio-Wilk test for the assumption of normality, Cohen's d to determine the effect size attributable to the therapy, and descriptive statistics for the dependent variables. The statistical results indicated a high level of significance for the three variables: aggression towards property, physical aggression, and aggression toward self. The obtained average values for the three modules are evidence for the positive effects of the sensory-based therapy in children with emotional and behavioral problems. The fourth variable, verbal aggression did not show a statistically significant difference between the mean values before and after the sensory-based intervention.
Highlights
Multiple disabilities are intense and complex combinations of disorders in motor, sensory, linguistic, intellectual and social functioning
The main aim of the study is to establish the effects of sensory-integration therapy on types of aggressive behavior demonstrated by children with multiple disabilities
The following methods were used in the study: Paired samples t-tests to test the four null hypotheses; a Shaprio-Wilk test for the assumption of normality, and Cohen's d to determine the effect size. The aim of this experimental study was to establish the effects of sensory-integration therapy on the number and type of aggressive behaviors exhibited by children with multiple disabilities educated in special educational institutions
Summary
Multiple disabilities are intense and complex combinations of disorders in motor, sensory, linguistic, intellectual and social functioning. The frequent manifestations of challenging behaviors are among the typological characteristics of individuals with multiple disabilities. A hypothesis is raised about the direct dependence of the extreme or unacceptable behavioral problems on the disturbed integration of the information coming through different sensory channels. The choice of an appropriate therapeutic solution for both parents and specialists is sometimes very difficult due to the complex clinical picture of the disorders. Ayres' theoretical legacy (1972, 1979) have stimulated a number of experimental psychological studies that have revised the resources of sensory-integration therapy (SIT), designed to improve behavioral and emotional functioning. This study is provoked by the author's scientific interest in revealing the positive potential of a specific type of therapy that meets the behavioral needs of children with multiple disabilities
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