A Parent Guidebook for Occupational Therapy Using Ayres Sensory Integration®.

IMPORTANCE: Occupational therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) is an evidence-based intervention that includes parent education and participation to support outcomes. However, guidelines for this parent component have not been published. OBJECTIVE: To obtain input from stakeholders on a revised guidebook for parent education during ASI intervention. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey design. SETTING: Online surveys. PARTICIPANTS: Experts in ASI, occupational therapy practitioners who use this approach, and parents of children with autism who received occupational therapy using this intervention. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Surveys designed and vetted to obtain input on content and usability. RESULTS: Experts rated the guidebook as consistent with ASI principles, practitioners rated it as clinically useful, and parents rated it as useful and clear. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The parent guidebook for ASI is ready for further testing and use. What This Article Adds: This report adds knowledge translation and best practice strategies in parent education to the parent guidebook for ASI and provides evidence that it is acceptable by experts, parents, and clinicians.

Occupational Therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a Neonate with Perinatal Stroke: A Case Report.

AIM: This case report describes an occupational therapy intervention based on synactive theory for a neonate born full-term with a diagnosis of perinatal stroke. INTERVENTION: Occupational therapy was provided 4-5 times a week for 3 weeks. The focus was improving infant state regulation and motor skills to support developmentally appropriate behaviors through environmental modifications, positioning, guided progression of sensory stimulation, and promotion of motor and postural skills. OUTCOMES: At discharge on day 24, the infant had improved state regulation, behavioral organization, and motor performance. CONCLUSION: Occupational therapy based on synactive theory was an effective therapeutic approach for improving the behavioral and motor organization of a full term infant diagnosed with perinatal stroke.

Effect of classroom modification on attention and engagement of students with autism or dyspraxia.

Students with autism display sensory sensitivities to environmental stimuli that affect their attending and engagement in classroom learning activities. The purpose of the study was to determine whether attending of 4 male students, ages 13-20, increased after the installation of sound-absorbing walls and halogen lighting. The multiple single-subject, mixed-method design, AB(B+C), included a 2-wk baseline and two intervention phases: 2 wk after sound-absorbing wall installation using the Owens Corning Basement Finishing System™ (Owens Corning, Toledo, OH) and 2 wk after halogen light installation. We calculated nonattending frequencies from videotaped class sessions and used visual analysis to measure within-phase and between-phase characteristics. Results included increased frequency and stability of attending and engagement and improved classroom performance, comfort, and mood. Journaling provided students' perspective on the modifications and reflected overall increased sensory comfort and themes of improved classroom environment, positive emotional response (mood), and improved classroom performance.