Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
Sensory over-responsivity (SOR) is associated with increased arousal levels and decreased quality of sleep. TouchPoints are wearable devices that deliver alternating bilateral tactile stimulation. The manufacturers claim that TouchPoints interfere with the brain’s stress response, leading to a decrease in arousal levels and improvements in sleep and self-regulation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of TouchPoints on improving sleep quality in children with SOR.
Primary Author and Speaker: Stacey Reynolds
Additional Authors and Speakers: Kaelah Pou, Emily Kidney
Contributing Authors: Katherine McGhee, Heather Pruyn Bouley
PURPOSE: Sensory over-responsivity (SOR) is associated with increased arousal levels and decreased quality of sleep. Sleep insufficiency is linked to other occupational deficits such as impaired learning, problem solving and emotional regulation. Despite evidence that sleep problems interfere with children’s health and daily routines, evidence supporting interventions for children with SOR and sleep problems is currently limited. Touchpoints (Touchpoint Solution™) are a wearable devices sold as a set; the devices deliver alternating bilateral tactile stimulation by vibrating at varying frequencies. The device manufacturers claim that their product disrupts neurological stress responses, leading to a decrease in arousal levels and improvements in sleep. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Touchpoints on improving sleep quality and sleep behaviors in children with SOR. We hypothesized that wearing the Touchpoints on the sleep setting before bed would result in positive changes in objective sleep outcome measures as well as parent’s perceptions of their child’s sleep behavior.
DESIGN: This study used a single-subject, ABA experimental design to investigate the effectiveness of Touchpoints on improving sleep in children with SOR. Participants were included in the study if they met the following criteria: (a) between ages 3:0 and 8:11, (b) had SOR as determined by a ‘more than others’ score on the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) in either sensation avoiding or sensitivity categories, and (c) presence of identified sleep difficulties on the Children’s Sleep Wake Scale (CSWS), as determined by any subscale score that was one or more standard deviations below the mean.
METHOD: The study conditions were as follows: Baseline phase (10 days), Touchpoints Intervention Phase (10 days), and Removal of Intervention Phase (10 days). The intervention phase consisted of the child wearing the Touchpoints 30 minutes before bed on the pre-determined ‘sleep setting’. Objective data was collected throughout all phases using a research grade, wrist-worn activity tracker (Actigraph GT9X); parents completed a sleep diary to help validate sleep/wake times. Parents also completed a parent-report measure, the CSWS after each phase of the study. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to test within-subjects changes for the Actigraph variables and the CSWS scores.
RESULTS: Six children were recruited for this study; data was usable for 5/6 participants. Participants did not demonstrate significant changes in sleep efficiency, duration, or awakenings as a result of the intervention. The intervention appeared to have some positive impact on sleep latency, however this also failed to reach statistical significance. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in several parent-report domains of the CSWS including Going to Bed, Maintaining Sleep, and Returning to Wakefulness (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Results supported the hypothesis that Touchpoints improve parental perceptions of sleep behaviors in children with SOR but this was not supported by our objective sleep tracking measures. Based on the results of this study, occupational therapists should use caution before recommending the Touchpoint devices to families. Further research is needed, and with larger samples, to validate these initial results.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Evidence supporting emerging interventions contributes to clinical decision-making that can improve quality of life for children with sensory needs and sleep problems. Rigorous research on emerging health and wellness technologies provides clinicians and families with evidence to aid in determining which technologies may have the potential to impact their child’s life.
References
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