Caregivers' Assessment of the Sensory Processing Patterns Exhibited by Children with Autism in the Gulf Region.
Rehab H Alsaedi, Suzanne Carrington, James J Watters
PMID 37171762WHAT IT FOUND
Caregiver ratings showed children with mild or high-functioning autism had widespread sensory differences, especially touch, body position, movement, hearing and oral input.
Visual processing was typical. Older age was linked to slightly fewer symptoms.
Key findings
01Children with autism were rated by caregivers as having more atypical sensory processing than typically developing children across all Child Sensory Profile 2 areas except visual processing.
02The largest caregiver-rated differences between groups were in registration, touch, and social/emotional responses.
03Older age was associated with lower caregiver-rated scores for seeking, avoiding, sensitivity, auditory and movement processing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Sensory processing was assessed only by caregiver report, so response bias is possible. The study included only children with mild or high-functioning autism, so it may not apply to children with more severe autism. The data were collected at one time point, so age effects do not prove change over time. The typically developing group was much smaller than the autism group. The paper did not test any treatment, so it cannot show that sensory supports help. The authors discuss that caregiver reports may be influenced by cultural expectations or parenting practices.
Declared interests
The only conflicts information given is that Taibah University and Queensland University of Technology funded the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these caregiver ratings as proof that a sensory treatment will work. The study describes group differences only, and it did not test treatment.