Sensory processing disorders in the vestibular system and everyday functioning in pre-school activities of a child with the autism spectrum disorder. Case study with recommendations for working with a child in the pre-school

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) live in the same reality as neurotypical children. They are surrounded by the same physical world and sensory stimuli, but their perception is completely different. The article consists of three main parts. The first one presents theoretical assumptions, the second concerns the methodological assumptions of the presented research and the last part analyses the obtained data and their implementation for pedagogical practice. The theoretical and cognitive aim of the article is to understand and describe the effects of sensory processing disorders in the vestibular system for the individual skills of a child with ASD. The practical and implementation goal is to develop effective strategies for working with a child with ASD, considering the consequences of dysfunction of the vestibular system. The research used the method of a case study of a child with autism spectrum disorder (childhood autism) carried out by means of an interview, observation, document analysis, and diagnosis of sensory processing disorder.