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A Pilot Study Examining Activity Participation, Sensory Responsiveness, and Competence in Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

This pilot study explored activity patterns in children with and without ASD and examined the role of sensory responsiveness in determining children’s level of competence in activity performance. Twenty-six children with high functioning ASD and twenty-six typically-developing children 6–12 years old were assessed using the Sensory Profile and the Child Behavior Checklist. Results reflect differences in the types of activities and jobs/chores engaged in by children with ASD compared to children without ASD. Significant differences were seen in overall level of competence in activities, social, and school performance. Children demonstrating more frequent Sensory Sensitivity and Sensory Avoiding had significantly lower competence scores than children with fewer behaviors in these domains, suggesting that sensory responsiveness may impact the ability to participate successfully.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Virginia Commonwealth University A.D. Williams Research fund and the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (K12 HD055929) Rehabilitation Research Career Development Program Award. The authors would like to thank Pediatric Therapy Network for their assistance with subject recruitment and data collection. Research assistants for this study were Kelli Bloom, Jennifer Elswick, Jessica Lynn, Carolyn Queck, Nicole Wray and Yoonjeong Lim.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 980008, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA

    Stacey Reynolds & Shelly J. Lane

  2. Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Roxanna M. Bendixen

  3. Division of Occupational Therapy, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Tami Lawrence

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  1. Stacey Reynolds
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  2. Roxanna M. Bendixen
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  4. Shelly J. Lane
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Correspondence to Stacey Reynolds.

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Reynolds, S., Bendixen, R.M., Lawrence, T. et al. A Pilot Study Examining Activity Participation, Sensory Responsiveness, and Competence in Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 41, 1496–1506 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1173-x

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