Open AccessSocial Interaction and Atypical Sensory Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders*
Author(s) -
Kanae Matsushima,
Toshihiro Kato
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
hong kong journal of occupational therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.301
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1876-4398
pISSN - 1569-1861
DOI - 10.1016/j.hkjot.2013.11.003
Subject(s) - sensory processing , autism , psychology , social relation , autism spectrum disorder , clinical psychology , intervention (counseling) , occupational therapy , stimulus modality , raw score , sensory system , developmental psychology , audiology , psychiatry , medicine , raw data , cognitive psychology , social psychology , statistics , mathematics
SummaryObjective/BackgroundMany children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have sensory processing disorders (SPDs), which may limit many facets of daily life, including social interaction, an important domain of occupational therapy. Therefore, we examined the relationship between social interaction deficits and SPD in 4–6-year-old children with ASD without intellectual disorders.MethodsThe Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Japanese Sensory Inventory-Revised (JSI-R) questionnaires were administered to parents of children with ASD and children in the control group (n = 42 each).ResultsResponse analyses revealed significant intergroup differences in scores for the questionnaires, with more atypical sensory processing patterns and social interaction deficits observed in children with ASD. Significant correlations were observed between the SRS total raw scores and subcategory scores of all sensory modalities of the JSI-R in the entire experimental group. The SPD symptoms were significantly associated with social interaction deficits in children with ASD.ConclusionIt is important that occupational therapists consider SPD symptoms in children with ASD to provide early intervention for social interaction deficits