The Effect of Interventions based on Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration on Stereotypic Behavior in Children with Autism Disorder: A Narrative Review

Document Type : Review Articles

Authors

1 Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

2 Lecturer, Department Of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran

10.22122/jrrs.v13i6.3016

Abstract

Introduction: Autism disorder is one of the most commonly occurring developmental disorders among children, which appears in early childhood in the form of degradation in the quality of social interaction, and repetitive and stereotypic patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. The stereotypical and repetitive patterns of behavior, make disturbance in attention and concentration, and cognitive development, and also damage to social performance and communication skills in these children, which interfere in daily activities from play to child's educational activities; this suggests that stereotypical behaviors should be minimized in any way. Whereas some scholars consider this stereotypic patterns in this children as a sensory failure to sensory stimulant. The purpose of this article was to review the effect of interventions based on sensory processing and sensory integration on the stereotypical patterns of children with autism.Materials and Methods: This was a narrative review. To find the studies related to purpose of research, using the keywords autism, sensory integration, sensory processing, and stereotypic behavior electronic, databases including Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Ot seeker, and Scientific Information Database (SID) were searched. Finally, 12 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria.Results: Review of the literature demonstrated that sensory integration approach had positive effect on interaction, and reduced autistic mannerism in children with autism disorder.Conclusion: It seems that intervention based on sensory integration in combination with behavioural intervention can be effective in reduction of stereotypic behaviours in children with autism disorder.

Keywords

  1. Rafei T. Autism: Assessment and treatment. Tehran, Iran: Danjeh Publications; 2007. p. 14, 23. [In Persian]
  2. Schilling DL, Schwartz IS. Alternative seating for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: effects on classroom behavior. J Autism Dev Disord 2004; 34(4): 423-32.
  3. Devlin S, Leader G, Healy O. Comparison of behavioral intervention and sensory-integration therapy in the treatment of self-injurious behavior. Res Autism Spectr Disord 2009; 3(1): 223-31.
  4. Patterson SY, Smith V, Jelen M. Behavioural intervention practices for stereotypic and repetitive behaviour in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Dev Med Child Neurol 2010; 52(4): 318-27.
  5. Zeinali R. Effect of tactile and vestibular stimulations on stereotypic behavior in children with developmental disorders [BSc Thesis]. Tehran, Iran: University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences; 1997. [In Persian].
  6. Shahgholi A, Karbalayi Noori A, Hosseini SA, Sourtigi H. The effect of sensory room intervention on perceptual-cognitive performance and psychiatric status of people with schizophrenia. Iran Rehabil J 2012; 10(2): 5-15. [In Persian].
  7. Bagatell N, Mirigliani G, Patterson C, Reyes Y, Test L. Effectiveness of therapy ball chairs on classroom participation in children with autism spectrum disorders. Am J Occup Ther 2010; 64(6): 895-903.
  8. Souratji H, Sazmand AH, Karbalaei Nouri A, Jadidi HA. Effect of sensory integration therapy on gross and fine motor skills of 5-7 years old children with Down syndrome. J Rehab 2008; 9(2): 35-40. [In Persian].
  9. Ahmadi Kahjoogh M, Farahbod M, Soortigi H, Rassafiani M. Sensory processing patterns in children with autism disorder from Winnie Dunn's perspective. Journal of Exceptional Children 2011; 10(4): 385-93. [In Persian].
  10. Lang R, O'Reilly M, Healy O, Rispoli M, Lydon H, Streusand W, et al. Sensory integration therapy for autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review. Res Autism Spectr Disord 2012; 6(3): 1004-18.
  11. Iwasaki K, Holm MB. Sensory treatment for the reduction of stereotypic behaviors in persons with severe multiple disabilities. OTJR (Thorofare NJ) 1989; 9(3): 170-83.
  12. Linderman TM, Stewart KB. Sensory integrative-based occupational therapy and functional outcomes in young children with pervasive developmental disorders: A single-subject study. Am J Occup Ther 1999; 53(2): 207-13.
  13. Devlin S, Healy O, Leader G, Hughes BM. Comparison of behavioral intervention and sensory-integration therapy in the treatment of challenging behavior. J Autism Dev Disord 2011; 41(10): 1303-20.
  14. Smith SA, Press B, Koenig KP, Kinnealey M. Effects of sensory integration intervention on self-stimulating and self-injurious behaviors. Am J Occup Ther 2005; 59(4): 418-25.
  15. Fazlioglu Y, Baran G. A sensory integration therapy program on sensory problems for children with autism. Percept Mot Skills 2008; 106(2): 415-22.
  16. Watling RL, Dietz J. Immediate effect of Ayres's sensory integration-based occupational therapy intervention on children with autism spectrum disorders. Am J Occup Ther 2007; 61(5): 574-83.
  17. Pfeiffer BA, Koenig K, Kinnealey M, Sheppard M, Henderson L. Effectiveness of sensory integration interventions in children with autism spectrum disorders: A pilot study. Am J Occup Ther 2011; 65(1): 76-85.
  18. Case-Smith J, Bryan T. The effects of occupational therapy with sensory integration emphasis on preschool-age children with autism. Am J Occup Ther 1999; 53(5): 489-97.
  19. Khamooshi M, Mirmahdi SR. The effectiveness of sensory integration procedure on reduction of stereotypical behaviors in autistic children. Developmental Psychology (Journal of Iranian Psychologists) 2015; 11(44): 417-23. [In Persian].
  20. Taghavizadeh M, Sharifi Daramadi P, Afrooz GA. Effectiveness of sensory integration treatment on reducing stereotypical behaviors in children with autism. Journal of Exceptional Empowering Children 2015; 6(2): 9-15. [In Persian].
  21. Pashazadeh Azari Z, Mirzakhani N, Asadi S, Kalantari M, Tabatabaee SM, Rassafiani M. Effect of O sit cushion on stereotypic movements in children with autism using ABA method. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2017; 6(2): 46-58. [In Persian].
  22. Lydon H. A comparison of the effects of sensory-integration therapy and behavioural intervention on challenging behaviour and academic performance with children with autism [PhD Thesis]. Galway, Ireland: School of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway; 2012.
  23. Schaaf RC, Benevides TW, Kelly D, Mailloux-Maggio Z. Occupational therapy and sensory integration for children with autism: A feasibility, safety, acceptability and fidelity study. Autism 2012; 16(3): 321-7.