Characterizing Social Functioning in School-Age Children with Sensory Processing Abnormalities.
T St John, A Estes, K K Begay and 4 others
PMID 33956254WHAT IT FOUND
Children with sensory abnormalities had worse social functioning than typically developing children and similar functioning to children with autism, even when communication differences were considered.
Key findings
01Children with sensory abnormalities had worse reciprocal social behavior than typically developing children, after communication skills were considered.
02Their reciprocal social behavior and social skills were similar to children with autism.
03Children with sensory abnormalities had more peer conflict and needed more parent support during play than typically developing children, while being similar to children with autism.
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
The study measured sensory symptoms and social functioning at one time, so it cannot show that sensory abnormalities caused social difficulties. The groups were formed by sensory abnormality status or diagnosis, not by random assignment, so unmeasured differences could explain the results. Sensory symptoms, social functioning, and peer play were rated by parents, so shared reporter bias may influence the results. The sample was mostly male and mostly white, and it did not include children with intellectual disability, so the findings may not apply to all children with sensory abnormalities. The peer measure asked about up to five playmates only, so it may not capture the full number of peer relationships. The sensory abnormality group had high rates of ADHD, anxiety, depression, and oppositional defiant disorder, and these co-occurring conditions were not fully separated from the sensory findings. The study did not test a treatment, so it cannot show that social skills or sensory interventions improve outcomes.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The supplied text does not report any other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that children with sensory abnormalities have autism. The sensory group was selected to exclude an autism diagnosis, and their autism-related symptom scores were low.