Sensory Processing Disorders (SPDs) define dysfunctions in modulating, organising, and using information from several sensory channels for regulating motor, behavioural, emotional and attention responses. Although SPD can be identified also as an isolated condition in young children, its presence in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) population is really frequent. The study purpose is to explore the SPD clinical expression and the putative correlation with several behavioural aspects both in children with ASD and in those with isolated SPD. Therefore, 43 preschool-aged children (25 ASD vs. 18 SPD) were recruited, and their parents completed three questionnaires (Developmental Profile-3, Sensory Processing Measure–Preschool, Repetitive Behaviour Scale-Revised) to evaluate behavioural alterations and developmental levels. The main result is that both ASD and SPD groups had significantly sensory-related behavioural symptoms, although ASD children seem to be more impaired in all areas. Several significant correlations were found between sensory processing difficulties and repetitive behaviours, but in the SPD group a specific relationship between Body Awareness and Ritualistic/Sameness Behaviour was found. Conversely, in the ASD group, more diffuse interlinks between sensory processing difficulties and motor behaviours were significant. In conclusion, the present study confirms the key role of sensory–motor skills in early diagnosis and intervention among children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders.
Background and Objectives: Siblings of disabled children are more at risk of developing mental illnesses. More than 50 international studies show that about 8% of children and adolescents suffer from a mental disorder, which is almost always a source of difficulties both at the interpersonal level (in the family and with peers) and at school. Healthy siblings of children with disabilities are one of the groups most at risk for consequences in psychological health and well-being. As some authors suggest, siblings build their idea of “being people”, in terms of character and personality, by continuously and daily confronting themselves with the theme of disability and a family context subjected to continuous stress. The following contribution aims to compare emotional–behavioral disorders in healthy siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder, in healthy siblings of children with Down’s syndrome and in healthy siblings of children with typical development. Materials and Methods: The results involve 153 children from the region of Campania and their caregivers through the administration of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: From the data, it emerged that siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder and siblings of children with Down’s syndrome have a greater emotional fragility, especially among male subjects. Conclusions: Our results require us to reflect on the clinical and policy measures needed to ensure the well-being of siblings of disabled children, mainly through appropriate sibling coping training.
Caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders play a central role during the rehabilitation and education processes, but they have an increasing risk of psychosocial problems even if the literature is not so agreed upon the specific and predisposing factors to that. The aim of this study was to examine possibly differences of burden levels in an Italian sample of principal caregivers of children with different kinds of neurodevelopmental disorders and to investigate the possible links between some clinical and sociodemographic variables and the levels of caregiver’s burden. 105 caregivers of school-aged children with neurodevelopmental disorders were included in the study and completed three online questionnaires (General Questionnaire, Caregiver Burden Inventory, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale). Results highlighted that about the half of caregivers show from moderate to high levels of stress, but parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability show greater difficulties than parents of children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Language and/or Learning Disorder, and Developmental Coordination Disorder. Moreover, it was evident a negative correlation between the burden levels and the age of children, but also a direct correlation between the burden levels and the weekly hours of rehabilitation. These findings show that severity of caregiver’s burden is dependent by the type of neurodevelopmental disorder and suggest that an ecological and family-centred approach is necessary to guarantee the life health developmental course of these children.
Sensory processing abilities play important roles in child learning, behavioural and emotional regulation, and motor development. Moreover, it was widely demonstrated that numerous children with neurodevelopmental disabilities show differences in sensory processing abilities and self-regulation compared with those of typical children. For these reasons, a complete evaluation of early symptoms is very important, and specific tools are necessary to better understand and recognize these difficulties during childhood. The main aim of this study was to translate, culturally adapt, and validate in a population of Italian typically developing (TD) children the Sensory Processing and Self-Regulation Checklist (SPSRC), a 130-item caregiver-reported checklist, covering children’s sensory processing and self-regulation performance in daily life. Preliminary testing of the SPSRC-IT was carried out in a sample of 312 TD children and 30 children with various developmental disabilities. The findings showed that the SPSRC-IT had high internal consistency, a good discriminant, and structural and criterion validity about the sensory processing and self-regulation abilities of children with and without disabilities. These data provide initial evidence on the reliability and validity of SPSRC-IT, and the information obtained by using the SPSRC-IT may be considered a starting point to widen the current understanding of sensory processing difficulties among children.
The regulation underlies numerous developmental processes during the life cycle and intervenes in sensory processing, attachment, management of the self in relation to the other and the environment, the attunement of the affects, experimentation of interactions, the configuration of relationships, resilience, and intersubjectivity. The regulation typically occurs from the earliest stage of life. The child defines his interactive style mediated by his motor dimension through appropriate processing of stimuli adapting himself to the physical and social environment through the tonic dialogue and he also reaches the ability to manage, control, and attunement of affects and emotional states within complex dynamics in adulthood with more developed cognitive skills through the “tonic dialogue”. The construct emerges on a neurobiological and neuroanatomical basis, which describes the individual subject’s peculiar way of reacting and relating to the world: the temperament. The relational and reactive style modifies and defines itself in a strictly individual manner based on the subject’s life experiences, especially of social nature. The interactive modes, the ruptures, and the repairs that characterise the relationship with the primary caregiver leave an imprinting that the subject retains throughout his life which will define his relational style, as much as it may change according to the interacting part. From the pathological front, regulatory disorders require a global, highly specific rehabilitative treatment which aims at the developmental needs of the child. Neuro and psychomotor therapy of developmental age intervenes in all aspects of regulatory disorders and plays a role that is not only rehabilitative and abilitative but also preventive, as reduces the risk that the disorder may evolve into further clinical conditions, especially of a psychopathological nature.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.