The effectiveness of sensory-motor integration with an emphasis on proprioceptive and vestibular senses on the symptoms of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Introduction: Attention deficit - hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder which should be effectively treated in order to decrease the severity of its symptoms. In the present study, the effects of proprioceptive and vestibular sensory integration were aimed to be determined as a treatment approach for alleviating the symptoms of this disorder. Materials and Methods: In this study a quasi-experimental method with pretest, posttest, and control group was adopted. Participants were thirty-two 6-to-12 year-old students with ADHD studying at the schools of Semnan, Iran. They were randomly selected and assigned to either an experimental (n = 16) or control group (n = 16). The experimental group received a sensory integration intervention program (with an emphasis on Proprioceptive and Vestibular senses) that consisted of 12 sessions, lasting 2 hours each and held two times a week. The Child Symptom Inventory- 4 (CSI-4) was used to evaluate the symptoms of the disorder. The obtained data were statistically analyzed by Shapiro-Wilk test, and also by univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: According to the reports of teachers, the experimental group had better scores for inattention and hyperactivity than did the control group (P > 0.001). Impulsivity scores, however, was not significantly reduced in the experimental group compared to the control group (P 0.001). Conclusion: The intervention involving sensory- motor integration with an emphasis on proprioceptive and vestibular senses significantly improved attention deficits, hyperactivity and impulsivity in the studied population. Keywords: Sensory-motor integration, Proprioceptive and vestibular senses, Attention deficit, Hyperactivity and impulsivity