Abstract
A retrospective, nonexperimental design was conducted to explore and describe the characteristics of children ages two through seven years identified as having sensory processing deficits but no other specific neurodevelopmental or behavioral diagnoses. Relations among specific types of sensory processing disorder, adaptive behavior, and psychosocial-emotional functioning were also identified to increase our understanding of sensory processing disorder as its own diagnostic entity.
Primary Author and Speaker: Shelley Mulligan
Additional Authors and Speakers: Sarah Douglas
This study explored and described the developmental and behavioral profiles of children identified as having sensory processing disorder but no other neurodevelopmental or behavioral diagnoses. Relations among specific types of sensory processing disorder, adaptive behavior and psychosocial-emotional functioning were also examined to increase our understanding of idiopathic sensory processing disorder as a proposed diagnostic entity. A retrospective, non-experimental design applying descriptive and correlational analyses was used with existing data extracted from the medical records of 45 children who were seen at a child development clinic for a developmental and/or diagnostic evaluation from 2014-2017, located in the Northeastern United States. The children ranged in age from 2 to 7 years of age, and had been evaluated by an interdisciplinary team of professionals including a developmental pediatrician, occupational therapist, and speech-language pathologist.
Data was extracted from the clinic medical records by a trained research assistant following procedures approved by the institution’s Internal Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects. Inclusion criteria for the cases selected for analyses were that: a) the child be between 2 and 7 years of age; b) the child have at least 2 areas scored in definite difference range (greater than 2 standard deviations from the mean) on the Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999), or Infant/Toddler version; c) children did not have a specific neurodevelopmental or mental disorder except global developmental delay, or unspecified motor, communication, or cognitive delays. Children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorder, intellectual disorder, learning disorder, or a known genetic disorder affecting neurodevelopment such as Fragile X were excluded. Data used for the purposes of this study included demographics (age, gender, race, socioeconomic status), sensory processing scores from the Sensory Profile, adaptive behavior scores from Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and Behavior scores from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBC; Achenbach, 2000). Data analyses were conducted using SPSS version 24, and included descriptive statistics, and correlation analyses to examine relations between types and subtypes of sensory processing disorders, and developmental, and behavioral variables.
Preliminary findings indicated that most children with idiopathic SPD have a multiple types and subtypes of sensory processing disorder, with the most common being sensory modulation disorder-over-sensitivity. Sensory systems most often affected include auditory, visual, tactile and proprioception. Adaptive behavior was significantly, negatively correlated with sensory processing such that as the number of atypical sensory processing areas increased, scores reflecting competencies in adaptive behavior decreased. Behavior profiles were extremely variable among the children with SPD, with some showing typical profiles, some having problems with externalizing behaviors, while others had problems with internalizing behaviors.
The study results suggest that there is a heterogenous group of children who may be best described as children with idiopathic SPD. These children display a variety of underlying sensory processing deficits affecting adaptive behavior, and psychosocial-emotional functioning, despite not meeting criteria for other neurodevelopmental, behavioral, or mental disorders. Insight into the clinical presentation of idiopathic SPD was provided, and is helpful for guiding occupational therapy evaluation and interventions for children with ideopathic sensory processing disorder.
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Dunn, W. (1999). The Sensory Profile, examiners manual. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corp.