Exploring Effects of Sensory Garments on Participation of Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Pretest-Posttest Repeated Measure Design.
Lisa Mische Lawson, Lauren Foster, Kayla Hamner and 1 others
PMID 35800976WHAT IT FOUND
Children who tolerated wearing sensory garments improved on their specific goals for sleep and dressing.
However, parent stress and sense of competence did not change. The study lacked a control group, so improvement may have come from the goal-setting process itself.
Key findings
01Goal attainment scores significantly improved during the intervention period and from start to finish, but parent stress and competence scores showed no significant change over time.
02Participants reported large, significant improvements in their performance and satisfaction with chosen activities (mainly sleep and dressing) during the 8-week garment wearing period.
03Two children refused to wear the garments due to discomfort, and one parent dropped out, highlighting that not all children tolerate these sensory inputs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
No control group was used, so it is impossible to separate the effect of the garments from the effect of the goal-setting process and weekly researcher contact. The sample was small (17 children), all male, and mostly Caucasian, limiting generalizability. Blinding was not possible, introducing potential expectation bias. Ceiling effects were noted in COPM scores at the end of the intervention, leaving little room for further improvement. The study did not explore why some children rejected the garments, nor did it measure the heterogeneity of sensory preferences in relation to outcomes.
Declared interests
Funding and conflicts of interest are not explicitly detailed in the provided text, but the study used SmartKnitKIDS products. The primary investigator was not an occupational therapist.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the sensory garments caused the improvement in child participation. The study had no control group, and the authors suggest the gains may have resulted from the collaborative goal-setting process and regular researcher contact rather than the physical properties of the clothing.