News: Researchers Receive Funds to Study Sensory Integration Therapy for Children with Autism

Stephen Camarata, Ph.D. and Mark Wallace, Ph.D., researchers at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, received funding to study the results of sensory integration therapy on children with autism. Sensory integration therapy (SIT) is a treatment for autism that is used with a lot of children; however, it has does not yet have a lot of evidence-based research to support it. Sensory integration therapy typically uses techniques to help children overcome tactile sensitivities. Camarata and Wallace plan to do a pilot study with 40 children to compare SIT to "a well-established language acquisition technique." They will study children's brain waves to measure socialization and behavior. Camarata and Wallace explain "It is not known whether children with autism have a 'sensory processing deficit' or whether higher cognitive functions — which develop later — are involved."

Read original article: Autism Study to Evaluate Sensory Integration Therapy