Research: Somatosensory Stimulation Interventions for Children with Autism: Literature Review and Clinical Considerations

Authored by Hodgetts, S., and Hodgetts W. in Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, Volume 74, Issue 5, p. 393-400, (2007).

Article summary (posted Apr 11, 2008):

Occupational therapists should look at the child with autism closely in order to make sure that the child is responding to the type of sensory integration therapy that is being used.

Most occupational therapists suggest that children with autism receive sensory integration therapy. Sensory integration therapy can include massage therapy, weighted vests, pressure arm wrappings, and many other things. This paper reviews the scientific studies on sensory integration therapy for autism. The authors found that it was hard for studies to be certain that the sensory integration therapy caused the changes in the child. They also note that autism can vary so much from child to child that it is hard to compare between children. Because of these problems with studies, the use of sensory integration therapy is not really based on scientific data.

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You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
autism, massage therapy, occupational therapy (OT), pressure, review article, sensory integration, somatosensory stimulation, therapist, therapy, weighted vest
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