Ayres Sensory Integration® Intervention for Autistic Children: A Telehealth Adaptation.
Natalie Schiano, Taylor Sivori, Rachel Dumont and 4 others
PMID 38900915WHAT IT FOUND
Eight experienced telehealth and occupational therapy experts reviewed a new manual for delivering Ayres Sensory Integration via video.
They rated it feasible and clear, but asked for better parent coaching tools and simpler assessment guides before it could be used in practice.
Key findings
01Telehealth experts rated the manual's structure and feasibility highly, with mean agreement scores of 3.50 to 4.00 out of 4.
02Occupational therapy clinicians confirmed the manual integrates essential Ayres Sensory Integration principles and is feasible to implement via telehealth.
03Reviewers identified specific gaps requiring revision, including the need for clearer assessment protocols, better parent interaction strategies, and improved technology troubleshooting resources.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not test the manual with actual patients or families, so it cannot confirm if the intervention works or is acceptable to users. The sample size was very small (8 experts) and drawn from urban areas, which may limit how well the feedback applies to rural practitioners. Because the reviewers were the ones who helped shape the manual through iterative feedback, their ratings of its feasibility may be biased toward accepting their own suggestions.
Declared interests
The senior investigator, Roseann Schaaf, is a key figure in Ayres Sensory Integration. The paper notes the study was deemed exempt by the ethics board but does not list other specific financial conflicts or funding sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that telehealth ASI is effective. This study only confirms that experts found the manual clear and feasible to read; it does not report patient outcomes or prove that children improved after using the protocol.