Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common lifelong condition affecting 1 in 100 people. ASD affects how a person relates to others and the world around them. Difficulty responding to sensory information (noise, touch, movement, taste, sight) is common, and might include feeling overwhelmed or distressed by loud or constant low-level noise (e.g. in the classroom). Affected children may also show little or no response to these sensory cues. These 'sensory processing difficulties' are associated with behaviour and socialisation problems, and affect education, relationships, and participation in daily life. Sensory integration therapy (SIT) is a face-to-face therapy or treatment provided by trained occupational therapists who use play-based sensory-motor activities and the just-right challenge to influence the way the child responds to sensation, reducing distress, and improving motor skills, adaptive responses, concentration, and interaction with others. With limited research into SIT, this protocol describes in detail how the intervention will be defined and evaluated.Methods
This is a two-arm pragmatic individually 1:1 randomised controlled trial with an internal pilot of SIT versus usual care for primary school aged children (aged 4 to 11?years) with ASD and sensory processing difficulties; 216 children will be recruited from multiple sources. Therapy will be delivered in clinics meeting full fidelity criteria for manualised SIT over 26?weeks (face-to-face sessions: two per week for 10?weeks, two per month for 2?months; telephone call: one per month for 2?months). Follow-up assessments will be completed at 6 and 12?months post-randomisation. Prior to recruitment, therapists will be invited to participate in focus groups/interviews to explore what is delivered as usual care in trial regions; carers will be invited to complete an online survey to map out their experience of services. Following recruitment, carers will be given diaries to record their contact with services. Following intervention, carer and therapist interviews will be completed.Discussion
Results of this trial will provide high-quality evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of SIT aimed at improving behavioural, functional, social, educational, and well-being outcomes for children and well-being outcomes for carers and families.Trial registration
ISRCTN14716440 . Registered on 8 November 2016.
SUBMITTER: Randell E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6371421 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Randell Elizabeth E McNamara Rachel R Delport Sue S Busse Monica M Hastings Richard P RP Gillespie David D Williams-Thomas Rhys R Brookes-Howell Lucy L Romeo Renee R Boadu Janet J Ahuja Alka S AS McKigney Anne Marie AM Knapp Martin M Smith Kathryn K Thornton Jacqui J Warren Gemma G
Trials 20190211 1
<h4>Background</h4>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common lifelong condition affecting 1 in 100 people. ASD affects how a person relates to others and the world around them. Difficulty responding to sensory information (noise, touch, movement, taste, sight) is common, and might include feeling overwhelmed or distressed by loud or constant low-level noise (e.g. in the classroom). Affected children may also show little or no response to these sensory cues. These 'sensory processing difficultie ...[more]