Children routinely visit art museums as part of their educational experience and family time, many of them having special needs. The number of children diagnosed with autism and sensory processing disorders is increasing. These conditions may include heightened sensory "avoiding" or "seeking" behaviors that can interfere with a…

This article presents information on the impact of hyper or hypo-sensory responses and specific strategies that can balance the systems. We examine the five sensory systems (tactile, auditory, visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular), common behaviors associated with each system, and recommend instructional strategies designed to support student…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of preoral sensorimotor cues on anticipatory swallowing/eating-related mouth movements in older and younger adults. It was hypothesized that these cues are essential to timing anticipatory oral motor patterns, and these movements are delayed in older as compared with younger adults.…

We examined whether adults with autism had difficulty imitating atypical biological kinematics. To reduce the impact that higher-order processes have on imitation we used a non-human agent model to control social attention, and removed end-state target goals in half of the trials to minimise goal-directed attention. Findings showed that only…

The purpose of the current review is to provide an overview of research relating to the school experiences of autistic females throughout childhood and adolescence. Web and database searches were conducted between December 2017 and April 2018 to identify studies exploring school experiences of autistic females. Eight studies met the inclusion…

The objective of this study was to investigate relationships between caregiver-reported sensory processing abnormalities, and the physiological index of auditory over-responsiveness evaluated using acoustic startle response measures, in children with autism spectrum disorders and typical development. Mean acoustic startle response magnitudes in…

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may present sensory processing alterations that are specific to each environment in which they develop, inevitably impacting their daily functioning. Method: The aim of this study is to compare the different types of sensory modulation vulnerabilities (over-responsiveness,…

Although the early behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder have been well characterized, many behaviors are also commonly observed in young children with other developmental delays and even in those with typical development. Therefore, consideration must be given to whether a child demonstrates sufficient autism spectrum disorder…

The association between Sensory Processing Features (SPF) and depressive symptoms was investigated at two levels in 150 young males (6-18 years) with an ASD. First, a significant correlation was found between SPF and total depressive symptom scores. Second, different aspects of SPF significantly predicted different depressive symptom factors, with…

Merleau-Ponty's theory of "embodiment", of the body as mediator of the world, has been very influential in philosophical and educational circles. This is to say, according to the theory of "embodiment", the body is central to one's "understanding" of the world, to one's engagement with Others, as well as to one's…

Alexithymia is a personality trait frequently found in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and has been linked to impairments in emotion recognition and empathy. The presentation of alexithymia within ASD at younger ages remains unexplored, and was examined in the present study. Alexithymia rates were significantly elevated in ASD (55%;…

This paper presents the essential programming components resulting from a systematic review of research studies, legislation, and policy documents on the topic of administration issues in educational programming for students who are deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired, or deafblind. It is recommended that educational teams should include a…

Interventions to enhance cognitive and executive function performance are essential for the child's performance in current and future occupations. Occupational therapy practitioners are critical members of early intervention, education, and healthcare teams. Practitioners are distinctly qualified to address cognitive functioning within the context…

Sensory integration dysfunction (SID, also known as sensory processing disorder, SPD) is a condition that exists when a person's multisensory integration fails to process and respond adequately to the demands of the environment. Children with SID (CwSID) are also learners with disabilities with regard to responding adequately to the demands made…

This study evaluated stressors and coping strategies in 70 children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) or with auditory processing disorder (APD) attending Grades 5 and 6 of a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Everyday general stressors and more hearing-specific stressors were examined in a hearing-specific modified stress and…