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The prevalence of sensory processing deficits in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) ranges from 69 to 95%. Sensory processing deficits are thought to contribute to the clinical presentation and functional difficulties experienced by individuals with ASD. Detection of sensory processing deficits during the second year of life has the potential to significantly impact the development of the disorder. Although sensory processing dysfunction in ASD is widely documented in the literature, the majority of the research in this area is limited to retrospective reviews and examination of dysfunction occurring during preschool years or later. Additionally, the majority of research in this area utilizes parent report and/or videotaped analysis and very few studies utilize neurophysiological assessments. No research study to date has employed a multi-modal assessment protocol utilizing both neurophysiological and clinical (parent report and direct observation) assessment tools to measure sensory processing function. Early identification of sensory processing deficits has the potential to lead to early intervention in individuals who may go on to develop ASD. Early intervention can significantly impact sensory processing deficits and ASD characteristics. In order to move toward addressing sensory processing in an early intervention program, sensory processing function during the first few critical years of life must be better understood. The goals of this project are to: (1) describe sensory processing function and dysfunction using a multi-modal assessment protocol during the second year of life (2) examine differences in sensory processing between toddlers with and without early signs of ASD (3) determine the relative relationship between developmental skills and sensory processing abilities with the presence of early signs of ASD and (4) to examine the effectiveness of early intervention on ameliorating the clinical symptoms of autism for individuals with or at risk for a diagnosis of autism between 0-24 months of age. |
