CURRENT/UPCOMING STUDIES:

To find out about our Sensory Dysfunction in Autism Study funded by the NIH, click here.

To find out about our Autism Speaks Intervention Study, click here.

To find out about our Use of Yoga to Decrease Sensory Reactivity in Adults with Sensory Defensiveness, click here.

To find out more about graduate research projects that our students participate in, click on one of these titles:

• Cross-Cultural Comparison of Sensory Responses in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Effectiveness of Sensory Based Strategies for Improving Adaptive Behaviors in Children with Autism
• Impact of Improving Sensory Processing on Routines for Families of Children with Autism
• Understanding Participation and Enjoyment of Extracurricular Activities for Children with Autism
• Sensory Strategies Used by Occupational Therapists in an Inclusive School for Children with Learning Disabilities

Sensory Dysfunction in Autism funded by the NIH

Unusual responses to sensation or sensory dysfunction (SD) are extremely prevalent (80-90%) in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and present some of the most challenging obstacles for parents and children by limiting adaptive behaviors (daily living, motor, socialization and communication skills) and participation in life activities. Interventions to address SD are among the most requested and utilized services by professionals and parents of children with autism. Nevertheless, SD in autism is poorly characterized, its mechanisms are not well understood, and current practices to address SD lack an adequate theoretical basis and empirical data to support their utility.  Thus, understanding SD in ASD, and developing and testing innovative approaches for it, have emerged as a critical public health concern.  In keeping with the mission of the NICHD – to help children with ASD and their family “achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives.”

The objective of this project is to

• Characterize SD in children with ASD in comparison to controls on behavioral AND physiological measures, and
• Determine the impact of SD on adaptive behaviors and participation in home, school and community activities.

The aims of this study are to:

• Compare physiological activity at baseline and during 7 sensory challenges in 60 children with ASD to 40 typically developing gender and mental age adjusted controls;
• Compare behavioral responses to sensation;
• Evaluate whether physiological reactions are related to behavioral responses to sensation; and
• Evaluate the relationship of physiological measures of SD to three domains of adaptive behavior (communication, language and self care) and 2 measures of participation in home, community and school activities.

In order to participate in this study your child:

• Must have a clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) made by developmental pediatrician based on meeting criteria for ASD on the following: Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised, Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and/or a DSM IV – TR checklist;
• Must be between the ages of 6 and 9 years of age;

Eligible participants and their family member will be asked to:

• Travel to the Sensory Integration Laboratory at Thomas Jefferson University in order to participate in a non-invasive laboratory procedure called the Sensory Challenge Protocol.
• Fill out assessments during the visit to the Sensory Integration Laboratory.

To participate, call our lab at 215-503-5709. (Note: testing will commence in 2010.)

Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Using Sensory-based Strategies for Improving Adaptive Behavior in Children with Autism funded by Autism Speaks

This study will evaluate whether occupational therapy using a sensory integrative approach is effective in decreasing sensory dysfunction in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Children will receive occupational therapy 3 times a week for the study period. After occupational therapy, the children’s ability to participate in home, school and community activities will be assessed, and improvements in their sensory behaviors measured. This study uses three phases, each with a different research design, to meet stated aims.

• Phase 1 uses a pre-post group design to evaluate the feasibility of completing the study intervention three times a week using the Fidelity to Treatment Measure.
• Phase 2 uses a pre-post control group design with randomization to determine feasibility and efficacy.
• Phase 3 is a small-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of more intensive occupational therapy using a sensory integrative approach in comparison to two controls (active play control, and a waitlist control). 

The aims of this study are to:

• Evaluate the feasibility of an intervention protocol that utilizes evidence-based, theory driven occupational therapy strategies designed to address sensory dysfunction;
• Conduct a small controlled trial to determine, reliability and validity of outcome measures and evaluate therapists fidelity to the intervention; and
• Conduct a randomized clinical control trial (RCT) of the intervention to evaluate its efficacy to decrease maladaptive sensory behaviors, improvement in adaptive behaviors (communication, activities of daily living and social skills) and improve participation in daily life activities (as measured by individually-defined goals).

In order to participate in this study your child:

• Must have a clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) made by developmental pediatrician at an autism clinic based on meeting criteria for autism on Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R; Lord, et al 1994) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G; Lord, et al., 2000);
• Be between the ages of 4 and 8 years of age;
• Have an IQ score > 80
• No physical or medical complications that may affect ability to participate in the active sensory motor activities that are part of the intervention protocol such as fractures, cerebral palsy, g-tube, NG tube, etc.
• No medical or developmental conditions that may affect sensory processing for example:
• chromosomal abnormality such as Fragile X,
• tuberous sclerosis,
• significant uncorrected vision or hearing impairment
• Retts Syndrome
• Must be able to follow simple directions such as “stop” or “wait”;
• Demonstrate sensory dysfunction on the Short Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999)
• Be able to participate in 3 visits a week at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Tom’s River, NJ during study period

Eligible participants and their family member will be asked to:

• Travel to Children’s Specialized Hospital in Tom’s River, New Jersey 3 times a week.
• Complete pre- and post-assessments.
• Complete questionnaires during every treatment session.
  
  Note: the sponsor of the study, Autism Speaks, will pay for any additional occupational therapy treatment sessions that are not previously covered by insurance.

To participate, call Children’s Specialized Hospital at 1-888-CHILDREN and ask to speak with Donna Kelly.

Use of Yoga to Decrease Sensory Over-Reactivity in Adults with Sensory Defensiveness

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga on adults with sensory defensiveness. Sensory defensiveness is considered a larger reaction to and less tolerance of typical levels of sound, touch, smell, light, and movement in the environment that the majority of other people would find harmless. Some examples of this are experiencing discomfort in crowded areas with lots of people or objects (i.e., while in a large store or shopping mall), cutting tags out of clothing because they irritate the skin, heightened sensitivity to loud noises, tendency to avoid rides at an amusement park, or avoiding activities one wants or needs to do to get though a typical day.

The aim of this study is to:

• Understand the role of yoga in decreasing sensory defensiveness;
• Understand how sensory defensiveness can impact social participation;
• Determine if individuals with sensory defensiveness experience more anxiety;
• Determine if yoga is an effective intervention for decreasing sensory reactivity and improving participation for adults with sensory defensiveness.

In order to participate in this study you:

• Must be over 21 years of age;
• Must have no medical complications (no history of heart problems or seizures);
• Must not be taking medications that affect cardiac or sweat gland activity (i.e. beta blockers to treat high blood pressure, SSRI anti-depressants, ADHD medications, anti-anxiety medications, Ditropan);
• Must not be pregnant; and
• Be willing to complete two visits to the lab and attend twice weekly late afternoon yoga sessions for a period of 3-6 weeks

Eligible participants will be asked to:

• Attend twice weekly yoga sessions for over a 3-6 week period of time.
• Make 2 scheduled visits to the lab. One visit will be required before the yoga sessions begin; the other will be required once the yoga sessions are completed. During both visits participants will engage in the Sensory Challenge Protocol (physical experience that measures heart rate and sweat gland responses to sensory stimulation of sound, touch, light, and movement). In addition, participants will need to complete 4-5 questionnaires that seek to obtain demographic information, as well as information about sensory reactions during routines and preferred daily activities. Completion of an anxiety questionnaire will also be required.
• Participants will receive a yoga mat for the duration of the study. There is no other compensation offered.

To participate, call 215-503-5709 or email Kimberly.Mollo@jefferson.edu.

To download a copy of our published pilot data, click here.