Date Presented 04/06/19
Children with vision or hearing impairment may suffer from sensory processing difficulties and limited participation. Understanding the outcomes of this relationship may assist in creating programs that enhance the inclusion of these children in the community and contribute to their quality of life.
Primary Author and Speaker: Shaima Hamed-Daher
Additional Authors and Speakers: Batya Engel-Yeger
PURPOSE: Children with vision impairment (VI) or hearing impairment (HI) are characterized by many difficulties in different components and areas of functioning (Rine et al., 2000). Also, this population may have unique sensory processing (SP) patterns, which affect their participation and quality of life. Understanding the relationships between these factors is important in the treatment of these children, especially for occupational therapists who wish to increase the person's participation in various practices and improve their quality of life. However, the research about participation patterns of children with sensory impairments and its relation to their sensory processing patterns is limited. Hence, the purposes of this study were to (1) profile the sensory processing patterns and participation of children with VI/HI. (2) examine whether differences in SP patterns and participation exist between all the groups. (3) examine the relationship between SP patterns and participation in each group.
DESIGN: This study included: 20 children with VI, 25 children with HI and 25 typical children, aged 6-11 years (mean=8.6±1.67).
METHOD: The parents filled the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) which measure behaviors associated with abnormal SP in children aged 3–10 years (McIntosh et al., 1999). The children completed the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) which examined patterns of participation in out of school activities (King et al., 2004). ANCOVA examined whether significant differences existed between groups in the overall scores of the questionnaires, after controlling mother education. MANCOVA test examined whether significant differences existed in the subscale scores of each questionnaire. Pearson correlation examined whether significant correlations existed between SSP and CAPE scores. Significance was set on p≤0.05.
RESULTS: Each of the VI/HI groups showed higher SP difficulties (65% and 68% respectively, χ2(4)=16.42, p<.01) and limited participation (lower number of activities, lower intensity and more activities performed at home as compared to control group. The limited participation was more emphasized among children with VI. Among the study groups SP difficulties correlated with lower participation; HI: higher tactile sensitivity correlated with more activities performed at home (r=.44, p<.01), VI: higher movement sensitivity correlated with a lower number of activities(r=.46, p<.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Children with VI/HI may suffer from SP difficulties and limited participation in out of school activities. The relationships between SP difficulties and participation among children with VI/HI reinforce the need to implement the ICF model regarding the relationship between body dysfunctions and participation in daily life in the evaluation and intervention for children with sensory impairment. Deeper understanding of the outcomes of impaired vision and hearing on the sensory profile and participation and the relationship between these factors can help in adapting the various environments in which these children participate to match their sensory processing abilities. This may increase their participation and involvement in daily life and exceed their quality of life.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Understanding the relationship between SP difficulties and participation in out of school activities among children with VI/HI may contribute to the limited research based on the ICF model to these populations. This understanding also provides clinicians and policies makers with an elaborated perspective as suggested by the ICF, and assist in creating intervention programs that are focused on the child's unique profiles and on relevant aspects that may enhance child's participation with typical peers and inclusion in the community.
References
King, G., Law, M., King, S., Hurley, P., Rosenbaum P., Hanna, S., Kertoy, M., & Young, N. (2004). Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
McIntosh, D. N., Miller, L. J., Shyu, V., & Dunn, W. (1999). Overview of the Short Sensory Profile. (SSP). In W. Dunn (Ed.), The sensory profile: Examiner's manual (pp. 59-73). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
Rine, R. M., Cornwall, G. D., Gan, C., LoCascio, T., O’Hare, T., Robinson, E. M., et al. (2000). Evidence of progressive delay of motor development in children with sensory neural hearing loss and concurrent vestibular dysfunction. Perceptual Motor Skills, 90, 1101–1112. doi: 10.2466/pms.2000.90.3c.1101
World Health Organization. (2001). The international classification of functioning, disability and health. Author, Geneva, Switzerland.
