Sensory Diet Program Through In-Person and Tele-Occupationa Therapy in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
-
Simin Dehghani
,
Marzieh Pashmdarfard
,
Zahra Pashazadeh Azari
,
Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban
,
Sima Dehghani
,
Navid Mirzakhani Araghi
Abstract
Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a sensory processing, social communication, and occupational performance disorder. Sensory diets can have positive effects on these fields. Current research compared the effectiveness of the sensory diet program with and without teleoccupational therapy on sensory processing patterns, social competency and occupational performance in children with ASD.
Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised 32 children with ASD 4-10 years old. They were placed in the control and intervention groups. The number of sessions for both groups was 20 30-minute sessions administered over 8 weeks. Through photos, videos, and explanations, sensory problems were described in both groups, the mother presented and implemented activities and environmental adaptations, and the therapist supervised the implementation. This study used three tools—sensory profile 2, social responsive scale 2 and Canadian occupational performance measure.
Results: According to the sensory profile 2, social responsiveness scale, and Canadian occupational performance measure, processing in the areas of auditory, visual, touch, movement, body position, oral, conduct, social-emotional, attentional, sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, sensory sensitive, low registration, social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, limited interests, repetitive behaviors, and occupational performance in both groups have a significant difference (P<0.05).
Conclusion: It seems that providing a sensory diet program through teleoccupational therapy on sensory processing patterns, social competency, and occupational performance is applicable, as well as face-to-face occupational therapy in children with ASD.
Salehi F, Raji P, Mahmoodian M, Dadgar H, Baghestani AR. Quality of life of mothers of children with Autism spectrum disorders and its relationship with severity of disorder and child’s occupational performance. Journal of Modern Rehabilitation. 2017 ;11(3):167-74. [Link]
Mirzakhani Iraqi N, Pashazadeh Azari Z, Mohammadi Orangi B, Akbarzadeh Baghban A, Mahmoudi E, Shahriarpour S. Comparing sensory processing and perceived motor competence between three groups of students with special learning disabilities. Journal of Modern Rehabilitation. 2022; 16(3):280-9. [DOI:10.18502/jmr.v16i3.10152]
Klose LM, Plotts C, Kozeneski N, Skinner-Foster J. A review of assessment tools for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders: Implications for school practice. Assessment for Effective Intervention. 2012; 37(4):236-42. [DOI:10.1177/1534508411415090]
Case-Smith J, Weaver LL, Fristad MA. A systematic review of sensory processing interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism. 2015; 19(2):133-48. [DOI:10.1177/1362361313517762] [PMID]
de Vries M, Geurts H. Influence of autism traits and executive functioning on quality of life in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder. 2015; 45(9):2734-43. [DOI:10.1007/s10803-015-2438-1] [PMID]
Barnsley B, Bates L. An evaluation of sensory diets and the impact on sensory processing, engagement and the wellbeing of autistic children. Good Autism Practice (GAP). 2021; 22(1):38-58. [Link]
Hunt A, Peterso M, White E. Exploration of the use of sensory diets in occupational therapy. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2017; 45(11):3565-79. [DOI:10.33015/dominican.edu/2017.OT.RP.10]
Pingale V, Fletcher TS, Candler C, Pickens N, Dunlap K. Effects of sensory diets: A single subject study. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention. 2021; 15(2):165-80. [DOI:10.1080/19411243.2021.1941492]
Sanz-Cervera P, Pastor-Cerezuela G, González-Sala F, Tárraga-Mínguez R, Fernández-Andrés MI. Sensory processing in children with autism spectrum disorder and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the home and classroom contexts. Frontiers in Psychology. 2017; 8:1772. [DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01772] [PMID]
Caprì T, Nucita A, Iannizzotto G, Stasolla F, Romano A, Semino M, et al. Telerehabilitation for improving adaptive skills of children and young adults with multiple disabilities: A systematic review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2021; 8:244-52. [DOI:10.1007/s40489-020-00214-x]
Stavropoulos KKM, Heyman M, Salinas G, Baker E, Blacher J. Exploring telehealth during COVID for assessing autism spectrum disorder in a diverse sample. Psychology in the Schools. 2022; 59(7):1319-34. [DOI:10.1002/pits.22672] [PMID]
Pashazadeh Azari Z, Hosseini SA, Rassafiani M, Samadi SA, Hoseinzadeh S, Dunn W. Contextual intervention adapted for autism spectrum disorder: An RCT of a parenting program with parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Iranian Journal of Child Neurology. 2019; 13(4):19-35. [PMID]
Gibbs V, Toth-Cohen S. Family-centered occupational therapy and telerehabilitation for children with autism spectrum disorders. Occupational Therapy in Health Care. 2011; 25(4):298-314. [DOI:10.3109/07380577.2011.606460] [PMID]
Jamali AR, Alizadeh Zarei M, Sanjari, MA, AkbarFahimi M, Saneii SH. Randomized controlled trial of occupation performance coaching for families of children with autism spectrum disorder by means of telerehabilitation. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2022; 85(5):308-15. [DOI:10.1177/03080226211061492]
Dunn W. Sensory profile 2. Bloomington: Psych Corporation; 2014. [Link]
Shahbazi M, Mirzakhany N, Alizadeh Zarei M, Zayeri F, Daryabor A. Translation and cultural adaptation of the Sensory Profile 2 to the Persian language. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2021; 84(12):794-805. [DOI:10.1177/0308022621991768]
Constantino JN. Social responsiveness scale. In: Volkmar FR, editor. Encyclopedia of autism spectrum disorders. Berlin: Springer; 2021. [DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_296]
Mirzakhani Araghi N, Alizadesh Zarei M, Saei S, Dibajnia P. Psychometric properties of the Persian version of social responsiveness scale-(SRS-2). Advances in Autism. 2021; 8(3):264-71. [Link]
Law M, Baptiste S, McColl M, Opzoomer A, Polatajko H, Pollock N. The Canadian occupational performance measure: An outcome measure for occupational therapy. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. Revue Canadienne D'ergotherapie. 1990; 57(2):82-87. [DOI:10.1177/000841749005700207] [PMID]
Dehghan L, Dalvand H, Pourshahbaz A, Samadi SA. [Designing supplement form of the Canadian occupational performance measure: Item analysis and suggestions for refinement (Persian)]. Journal of Rehabilitation. 2014; 15(1):21-8. [Link]
Ehteshami S, Mirzakhani Araghi N, Pashmdarfard M. Psychometric properties of Autism Spectrum Disorders Screening Assessment Tools: Systematic review. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2023; 37:117. [DOI:10.47176/mjiri.37.117] [PMID]
Minaei A, Nazeri S. [Psychometric properties of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale–Third Edition (GARS-3) in individuals with autism: A pilot study (Persian)]. Journal of Exceptional Children. 2018; 18(2):113-22. [Link]
Nithya GD, Damodaran V, Mythili V. A study on impact of Corona Virus Disease 2019 Pandemic on activities of daily living, play, and sensory behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional survey study. The Indian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2021; 53(2):64-76. [DOI:10.4103/ijoth.ijoth_34_21]
Vallefuoco E, Purpura G, Gison G, Bonifacio A, Tagliabue L, Broggi F, et al. A multidisciplinary telerehabilitation approach for supporting social interaction in autism spectrum disorder families: An Italian digital platform in response to COVID-19. Brain Sciences. 2021; 11(11):1404. [DOI:10.3390/brainsci11111404] [PMID]
Yılmaz GG, Önal G. The effectiveness of telerehabilitation-based occupational therapy interventions on sensory processing and functional independence in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A case series. International Journal of Disabilities Sports and Health Sciences. 2021; 4(2):160-5. [DOI:10.33438/ijdshs.1008690]
Dehghani S, Mirzakhany Araghi N, Dehghani S, Pashmdarfard M. The use of tele-occupational therapy for children and adolescents with different disabilities: Systematic review of RCT articles. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2023; 37 (1):118-29. [DOI:10.47176/mjiri.37.17]
Marino F, Failla C, Bruschetta R, Vetrano N, Scarcella I, Doria G, et al. Telerehabilitation of social-pragmatic skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: A principal component analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(4):3486. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph20043486] [PMID]
Shamsuddin S, Malik NA, Yussof H, Mohamed S, Hanapiah FA, Yunus FW. Telerehabilitation in robotic assistive therapy for children with developmental disabilities. Paper presented im: 2014 IEEE Region 10 Symposium. 16 April 2014; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [DOI:10.1109/TENCONSpring.2014.6863060]
Boucenna S, Narzisi A, Tilmont E, Muratori F, Pioggia G, Cohen D, et al. Interactive technologies for autistic children: A review. Cognitive Computation. 2014; 6:722-40. [DOI:10.1007/s12559-014-9276-x]
Aqdassi L, Sadeghi S, Pouretemad HR, Fathabadi J. A family-based telerehabilitation program for improving gross motor skills in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Modern Rehabilitation. 2021; 15(3):173-82. [DOI:10.18502/jmr.v15i3.7738]
Cason J. Telerehabilitation: An adjunct service delivery model for early intervention services. International Journal of Telerehabilitation. 2011; 3(1):19-30. [DOI:10.5195/ijt.2011.6071]
| Issue | Vol 19 No 1 (2025) | |
| Section | Research Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/jmr.v19i1.17507 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Telerehabilitation Sensory Social behavior Participation Autism | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
