The impact of sensory integration therapy on gross motor function in children after prenatal exposure to alcohol

Abstract

Słowa kluczowe: fizjoterapia, integracja sensoryczna, dzieci po prenatalnej ekspozycji na alkohol. AbstractIntroduction: In Poland there are 900 cases of full-blown foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in neonates per year, and in 9000 children there are some symptoms of it. Aim of the research: To analyse the impact of sensory integration (SI) therapy on gross motor skills function in children after prenatal exposure to alcohol. Material and methods: The study was conducted on a group of 20 children aged 4-5 years with information from an interview about prenatal exposure to alcohol. The diagnosis of sensory integration disorder consisted of two 60-minute diagnostics meetings. Twelve trials with clinical observations were performed by Ayres: finger to nose, cocontraction, prone extension posture, flexed position supine, asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (ATOS), symmetrical tonic neck reflex (STOS), muscle tension, Schilder test, dynamic balance, static balance, gravitational insecurity, and trunk stabilisation. The therapeutic program included: normalisation of the vestibular and proprioceptive system, normalisation of the touch system, strengthening muscle tension, development of motion planning, development of oculomotor performance, development of motor coordination, hand therapy, integration of ATOS, STOS, development of locomotion and balance functions, and improving efficiency of gross and small motor skills. Results and conclusions: High efficiency of SI therapy has been shown in children after prenatal exposure to alcohol on the example of gross motor skills. Positive effects of SI therapy have been shown for tests: finger to nose, in the erect position on the stomach, the flexural position on the back, ATOS, STOS, Schilder test, dynamic balance, static balance, and the uncertainty of gravity and trunk stabilisation. Only cocontraction and muscle tension tests showed no efficacy of SI therapy. The a-Cronbach position analysis showed high reliability of the performed tests both before and after the therapy. It is advisable to continue the study on a larger sample and observation of the functional status of children after therapy.

The Distribution of Available Prevention and Management Interventions for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (2007 to 2017): Implications for Collaborative Actions

“…We identified 13 facility-based management interventions [70,71,72,73,74,76,77,78,79,80,81,82] aimed at managing the FASD. Five of the facility-based management interventions were pharmacological interventions [70,72,73,76,82].…”

“…Four of the facility-based management interventions improved a certain aspect of brain functions [74,78,79,81]. The use of sensory integration (SI) therapy [74] showed high efficacy on gross motor function and individual designated therapy room [78] (a room with varieties of therapy materials for the Alert Program for Self-Regulation) demonstrated effectiveness in correcting the executive function disabilities in children with FASD.…”

“…Four of the facility-based management interventions improved a certain aspect of brain functions [74,78,79,81]. The use of sensory integration (SI) therapy [74] showed high efficacy on gross motor function and individual designated therapy room [78] (a room with varieties of therapy materials for the Alert Program for Self-Regulation) demonstrated effectiveness in correcting the executive function disabilities in children with FASD. In addition, sensory integration and cognitive behavioral training improved self-regulation skills and brain development [79] and the Alert® Program (TherapyWorks Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA) for Self-Regulation improved functional integrity in the neural circuitry for behavioral regulation [81].…”

Perception of sensory impressions in children from music classes and their peers from general classes in Poland – a comparison

“…Various authors of many studies have pointed to the deterioration of the body stability in the context of excluding visual stimuli. Wilczyński and Zawada [20] stated that children did not use their eyes to maintain balance. He noticed that the equilibrium parameters with closed eyes did not deteriorate.…”

Speech development delay in a child with foetal alcohol syndrome

“…Behavioural disorders and difficulty in obeying standards, rules, and regulations also stem from the fact that a child with FAS does not recognise the feelings experienced by him/herself, does not see the feelings of others, poorly understands other people's intentions, and has limited skill of memorising commands [21,24].…”