Sensory Processing and Maladaptive Behavior: Profiles Within the Down Syndrome Phenotype.
Elizabeth A Will, Lisa A Daunhauer, Deborah J Fidler and 3 others
PMID 31070074WHAT IT FOUND
Parent reports showed children with Down syndrome who seemed hard to engage or sought intense sensory experiences had more disruptive and self-absorbed behavior.
This was an association, not proof that changing sensory experiences would change behavior.
Key findings
01The largest definite-difference groups were low energy/weak (65%), auditory filtering (33%), and under-responsive/seeks sensation (35%).
02Under-responsive/seeks sensation was the only sensory area that predicted maladaptive behavior outcomes.
03Together, the sensory areas were associated with 51% of the differences in maladaptive behavior scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
There was no comparison group, so the link between sensory processing and behavior may not be specific to Down syndrome. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether sensory difficulties come before behavior problems. The sample was small, especially for children with Down syndrome and ASD. The measures were parent-reported, without direct observation, so a parent might score a child on sensory items for reasons related to attention or language rather than sensory processing. The age range was broad, so findings may not apply to every developmental stage.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that sensory therapy will reduce behavior problems. The study measured association at one time point and did not test an intervention.