The Effectiveness of Sensory Integration Therapy for Children with Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified: A Case Control Study

Abstract

Asperger's syndrome (AS) and Pervasive Development Disorder-NOS (PDD-NOS) challenge clinicians to seek effective interventions. This study aimed to determine if sensory integration (SI) therapy has an effect on any specific sensory motor deficits. The study used a pretest-posttest design. The intervention was SI therapy twice weekly for 10 weeks. Subjects were 9 AS and 8 PDD-NOS children. The assessment tools Sensory Profile and The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2) were performed at start, 5 weeks and after 10 weeks of intervention. Tests results were analyzed in SPSS v22 using ANOVA. Sensory seeking improved significantly (p<.05). (p<.05) on pretest-posttest and midtestposttest. Auditory processing, modulation of movement affecting activity level, modulation of visual input affecting emotional responses and activity level (p<.05) of the Sensory Profile were significant. Post hoc analysis revealed significance in auditory processing from pretest to posttest (p<.05). ANOVA analysis approached significance on fine motor and perceptual skills (p=.08), multisensory processing (p=.08) and modulation related to body position and movement (p=.08). Significant difference (p<.05) was seen on the balance subtest, the running speed and agility subtest approached significance (p=.07). This study indicates that SI therapy is effective in some specific sensory deficits AS and PDD-NOS.