The grocery store fluorescent lights buzzed like angry bees. Cart wheels squeaked. Someone dropped a glass bottle three aisles over, and the crash echoed. A woman’s perfume wafted past—sharp, chemical, overwhelming. Background music mixed with crying children, beeping registers, and a hundred conversations happening simultaneously.
For most shoppers, these sensations fade into background noise. For seven-year-old Lily, they crashed over her like waves, each one demanding attention, none allowing her brain to filter what mattered. Within minutes, her hands were over her ears, her body rigid. By the checkout line, she was screaming.
Lily’s mother had watched this scenario unfold dozens of times. Not because Lily was misbehaving—but because her sensory system processed the world differently. What felt manageable to others felt unbearable to her daughter.
Understanding Sensory Processing in Autism
Most people don’t think about sensory processing until something goes wrong. Our brains constantly filter sensory information—deciding what needs attention and what can be ignored. This happens automatically, effortlessly, beneath conscious awareness.
For many autistic individuals, this filtering system works differently. Research now recognizes that autism is intrinsically related to sensory processing differences, making sensory integration therapy a suitable intervention approach for many children on the spectrum.[1]
Sensory processing challenges in autism can manifest in several ways:
Hypersensitivity (Over-responsiveness): Ordinary sensations feel overwhelming. Clothing tags feel like sandpaper. Normal conversation volume sounds like shouting. Bright lights cause physical pain. Certain food textures trigger gag reflexes. These aren’t preferences or pickiness—they’re genuine neurological experiences of discomfort or distress.
Hyposensitivity (Under-responsiveness): Some autistic individuals experience reduced sensory awareness. They may not notice when they’re injured, have difficulty registering hunger or fullness, seek intense sensory input through spinning or crashing into things, or appear oblivious to environmental changes that would immediately capture others’ attention.
Sensory Seeking: The drive to obtain specific sensory experiences—constant movement, touching everything, making repetitive sounds, seeking tight pressure or deep input. This isn’t hyperactivity; it’s the nervous system’s attempt to regulate itself.
Sensory Avoidance: Active efforts to escape or prevent sensory experiences—covering ears, refusing certain clothes, avoiding crowds, extreme selectivity about food. Again, this isn’t willful defiance but self-protection from genuinely aversive sensations.
Many autistic individuals experience a combination of these patterns across different sensory domains. Someone might be hypersensitive to sound but seek visual input, or crave deep pressure while avoiding light touch.
The Impact on Daily Functioning
Sensory challenges don’t exist in isolation. They ripple through every aspect of daily life.
Morning routines become battles when clothing textures feel intolerable. Mealtimes turn stressful when food textures, temperatures, or smells trigger genuine disgust. School participation suffers when classroom fluorescent lights create visual pain or when the cafeteria noise level triggers sensory overload. Social interaction becomes exhausting when processing multiple voices, reading facial expressions, and managing proximity to others while simultaneously managing sensory input exceeds available processing capacity.
One father described his son’s experience: “People thought he was lazy or defiant because he refused to wear certain clothes or eat most foods. They didn’t understand that the sensations genuinely felt painful to him. Once we recognized this as sensory processing rather than behavior problems, everything changed.”
The relationship between sensory challenges and behavior cannot be overstated. What looks like a tantrum is often sensory overload. What appears as defiance might be sensory avoidance. What seems like aggression could be a fight-or-flight response to overwhelming sensory input.
Sensory Integration Therapy: What the Research Shows
Occupational therapy using sensory integration approaches has become increasingly common for autistic children experiencing sensory difficulties. But does it work?
The research presents a nuanced picture. Recent meta-analyses demonstrate that sensory integration interventions produce beneficial effects on social skills, adaptive behavior, sensory processing, and both gross and fine motor skills in children with autism.[2] The most effective approaches typically involve one-on-one treatment sessions with trained therapists lasting approximately 40 minutes.
However, a large-scale randomized controlled trial found that while sensory integration therapy showed some positive effects and high acceptability among families, it was not statistically superior to usual care across all outcome measures.[3] This doesn’t mean sensory integration therapy doesn’t help—rather, it suggests that benefits may be individual-specific rather than universal.
The key appears to be matching intervention to individual needs. For some children, structured sensory integration therapy produces meaningful improvements in daily functioning. For others, environmental modifications and practical strategies prove more helpful than formal therapy.
What we know for certain: sensory challenges are real, they significantly impact quality of life, and addressing them improves functioning. The specific approach that works best varies by individual.
Practical Strategies for Daily Life
Families don’t need to wait for formal therapy to implement sensory-supportive strategies. Small environmental modifications and daily routine adjustments can make substantial differences.
Create Sensory-Friendly Spaces: Designate a calm area at home where sensory input is minimized—soft lighting, minimal clutter, comfortable seating, noise-reducing elements. This becomes a refuge during sensory overload. Include preferred sensory tools: weighted blankets, fidget items, noise-canceling headphones, or soft textures the child finds soothing.
Use Visual Supports: Visual schedules reduce anxiety by making routines predictable. When children know what comes next, transitions become easier. Create picture schedules for morning routines, use first-then boards (“First homework, then iPad”), and develop visual checklists for multi-step tasks. Research consistently demonstrates that visual supports help autistic children understand expectations, navigate routines independently, and reduce confusion during transitions.[4]
Implement Sensory Breaks: Build regular sensory input opportunities into the day before overload occurs. This might include jumping on a trampoline, pushing a heavy cart, squeezing stress balls, or engaging in preferred movement activities. Preventive sensory breaks reduce meltdowns by addressing sensory needs proactively.
Modify the Environment: Make strategic changes to reduce sensory challenges. Replace fluorescent bulbs with softer lighting. Use noise-canceling headphones or white noise machines. Remove clothing tags. Offer seamless socks. Keep preferred “safe” foods available. These aren’t indulgences—they’re accommodations that prevent sensory distress.
Develop Coping Strategies: Teach specific techniques for managing unavoidable sensory challenges. Deep breathing exercises, counting strategies, using fidget tools, or seeking out heavy work activities can help children maintain regulation when sensory input becomes overwhelming.
Building Predictable Routines
Predictability serves as a powerful buffer against sensory overwhelm. When children know what to expect, their nervous systems can prepare rather than constantly reacting.
Consistency in daily routines creates a framework that supports regulation. Wake-up times, meal schedules, bedtime routines—maintaining these patterns helps autistic children feel more secure and better able to manage sensory challenges throughout the day.
Visual schedules enhance this predictability by making abstract time concepts concrete. Whether using photographs, picture symbols, or written words (depending on the child’s abilities), visual schedules provide constant reference points throughout the day.[5]
One mother shared: “We photograph every part of our morning routine—getting dressed, breakfast, brushing teeth, backpack by the door. My son checks his schedule independently now. The predictability reduces his anxiety, which reduces sensory sensitivity, which reduces meltdowns. It’s all connected.”
Timers serve as valuable tools for managing transitions. Rather than abrupt changes, timers provide visual and auditory cues that an activity is ending soon. This allows children’s nervous systems to prepare for the transition, significantly reducing resistance and meltdowns.
When Anxiety Amplifies Sensory Sensitivity
Here’s what many families don’t realize: anxiety and sensory sensitivity create a vicious cycle. Anxiety lowers the threshold for sensory overwhelm. Sensory overwhelm triggers anxiety. Round and round it goes.
An autistic child who feels anxious about social situations becomes more sensitive to sensory aspects of those environments—the noise level, physical proximity of others, unpredictable movements. A child anxious about performance becomes more distracted by classroom sensory input. Anxiety and sensory challenges amplify each other.
This is where psychiatric intervention can help to break the cycle. When anxiety receives appropriate treatment—through therapy, medication, or both—many children experience reduced sensory sensitivity. Their nervous systems, no longer in constant fight-or-flight mode, can better process and filter sensory information.
At Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania, we regularly see this connection. Children who struggled with sensory overwhelm for years sometimes experience dramatic improvement when their underlying anxiety is addressed. Not because medication changes sensory processing directly, but because reducing baseline anxiety gives the nervous system more capacity to handle sensory challenges.
We also treat the depression that can develop when sensory sensitivities severely limit life experiences. Children who can’t tolerate birthday parties, can’t eat in restaurants, can’t participate in school activities—they notice these differences. They feel isolated. Sometimes this develops into genuine depression requiring treatment.
Medication doesn’t eliminate sensory differences. But it can reduce the anxiety that amplifies those differences, creating more emotional bandwidth for implementing sensory strategies and participating in daily activities.
Preparing for Challenging Situations
Some situations present unavoidable sensory challenges. Medical appointments, family gatherings, school events—these can’t always be avoided, but they can be prepared for.
Practice in advance: Use toy medical kits to familiarize children with doctor visit procedures. Visit the school before the first day. Drive by the party venue ahead of time. Familiarization reduces anxiety, which reduces sensory sensitivity.
Pack sensory tools: Bring noise-canceling headphones, favorite fidgets, preferred videos on a tablet, or comfort items. Having these available prevents escalating distress.
Plan escape routes: Identify quiet spaces where your child can retreat if overwhelmed. Communicate with hosts or staff about needing brief breaks. Having an exit strategy reduces anxiety about becoming trapped in overwhelming situations.
Communicate needs: Tell teachers, doctors, family members about specific sensory challenges. Most people are accommodating once they understand the situation. “He needs to sit away from the fluorescent lights” or “She processes better with written instructions” helps others support your child.
Set realistic expectations: Some situations may simply be too overwhelming. That’s okay. Protecting your child’s nervous system isn’t overprotectiveness—it’s recognizing genuine limitations. There’s time to gradually expand tolerance; there’s no need to force exposure to overwhelming sensory experiences.
Looking Ahead
Sensory sensitivities often shift across development. Some children become less sensitive with age and intervention. Others learn sophisticated compensatory strategies. Many develop better self-awareness and can advocate for their own sensory needs.
Lily, the girl from our opening story, is now twelve. Her sensory sensitivities haven’t disappeared, but her family has learned to support them. She wears noise-canceling headphones at the grocery store. They shop during quiet times. She has a weighted blanket at home and a fidget in her pocket at school. Her anxiety is treated. She understands her own sensory needs and can communicate them.
Most importantly, her parents stopped viewing sensory sensitivities as problems to eliminate and started seeing them as differences to accommodate. That shift changed everything.
In our final blog of this series, we’ll explore family support systems and building independence—helping families sustain their energy for the long journey while supporting their autistic family member’s growing autonomy.
For families in the Philadelphia area seeking psychiatric support for anxiety, depression, or other mental health factors that amplify sensory sensitivities, Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania in Narberth offers specialized care for autistic individuals and their families.
About the Practice
Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania, located on the Main Line in Narberth, offers personalized, high-quality psychiatric care in a warm and supportive environment. Our team of skilled clinicians provides medication management, therapy, and a full spectrum of mental health services tailored to the unique needs of each client. We welcome individuals seeking first-time care, second opinions, or new treatment options. We strive to make the process as accessible as possible with flexible business hours and strong administrative support. With a focus on empowerment, compassion, and respect, our goal is to help you discover your full potential and build resilience for life’s challenges.
References
- Camino-Alarcón, J., Robles-Bello, M. A., Valencia-Naranjo, N., & Sarhani-Robles, A. (2024). A Systematic Review of Treatment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration Approach. Children, 11(10), 1222. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/10/1222
- Kim, M. J., Kim, J. M., & Oh, D. W. (2024). Effectiveness of sensory integration therapy in children, focusing on Korean children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 13(1), 88782. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10955541/
- Randell, E., Wright, M., Milosevic, S., Gillespie, D., Brookes-Howell, L., Busse-Morris, M., … & Hastings, R. P. (2022). Sensory integration therapy for children with autism and sensory processing difficulties: the SenITA RCT. Health Technology Assessment, 26(29), 1-140. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35766242/
- Wu, L., Yang, X., Guo, Z., & Pan, S. (2024). The use of visual schedules to increase academic-related on-task behaviors of individuals with autism: a literature review. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 1-11. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20473869.2024.2402124
- Pfeiffer, B. A., Koenig, K., Kinnealey, M., Sheppard, M., & Henderson, L. (2011). Effectiveness of sensory integration interventions in children with autism spectrum disorders: A pilot study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(1), 76-85. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3708964/
Medical Disclaimer
This blog is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned in this blog.
The grocery store fluorescent lights buzzed like angry bees. Cart wheels squeaked. Someone dropped a glass bottle three aisles over, and the crash echoed. A woman’s perfume wafted past—sharp, chemical, overwhelming. Background music mixed with crying children, beeping registers, and a hundred conversations happening simultaneously.
For most shoppers, these sensations fade into background noise. For seven-year-old Lily, they crashed over her like waves, each one demanding attention, none allowing her brain to filter what mattered. Within minutes, her hands were over her ears, her body rigid. By the checkout line, she was screaming.
Lily’s mother had watched this scenario unfold dozens of times. Not because Lily was misbehaving—but because her sensory system processed the world differently. What felt manageable to others felt unbearable to her daughter.
Understanding Sensory Processing in Autism
Most people don’t think about sensory processing until something goes wrong. Our brains constantly filter sensory information—deciding what needs attention and what can be ignored. This happens automatically, effortlessly, beneath conscious awareness.
For many autistic individuals, this filtering system works differently. Research now recognizes that autism is intrinsically related to sensory processing differences, making sensory integration therapy a suitable intervention approach for many children on the spectrum.[1]
Sensory processing challenges in autism can manifest in several ways:
Hypersensitivity (Over-responsiveness): Ordinary sensations feel overwhelming. Clothing tags feel like sandpaper. Normal conversation volume sounds like shouting. Bright lights cause physical pain. Certain food textures trigger gag reflexes. These aren’t preferences or pickiness—they’re genuine neurological experiences of discomfort or distress.
Hyposensitivity (Under-responsiveness): Some autistic individuals experience reduced sensory awareness. They may not notice when they’re injured, have difficulty registering hunger or fullness, seek intense sensory input through spinning or crashing into things, or appear oblivious to environmental changes that would immediately capture others’ attention.
Sensory Seeking: The drive to obtain specific sensory experiences—constant movement, touching everything, making repetitive sounds, seeking tight pressure or deep input. This isn’t hyperactivity; it’s the nervous system’s attempt to regulate itself.
Sensory Avoidance: Active efforts to escape or prevent sensory experiences—covering ears, refusing certain clothes, avoiding crowds, extreme selectivity about food. Again, this isn’t willful defiance but self-protection from genuinely aversive sensations.
Many autistic individuals experience a combination of these patterns across different sensory domains. Someone might be hypersensitive to sound but seek visual input, or crave deep pressure while avoiding light touch.
The Impact on Daily Functioning
Sensory challenges don’t exist in isolation. They ripple through every aspect of daily life.
Morning routines become battles when clothing textures feel intolerable. Mealtimes turn stressful when food textures, temperatures, or smells trigger genuine disgust. School participation suffers when classroom fluorescent lights create visual pain or when the cafeteria noise level triggers sensory overload. Social interaction becomes exhausting when processing multiple voices, reading facial expressions, and managing proximity to others while simultaneously managing sensory input exceeds available processing capacity.
One father described his son’s experience: “People thought he was lazy or defiant because he refused to wear certain clothes or eat most foods. They didn’t understand that the sensations genuinely felt painful to him. Once we recognized this as sensory processing rather than behavior problems, everything changed.”
The relationship between sensory challenges and behavior cannot be overstated. What looks like a tantrum is often sensory overload. What appears as defiance might be sensory avoidance. What seems like aggression could be a fight-or-flight response to overwhelming sensory input.
Sensory Integration Therapy: What the Research Shows
Occupational therapy using sensory integration approaches has become increasingly common for autistic children experiencing sensory difficulties. But does it work?
The research presents a nuanced picture. Recent meta-analyses demonstrate that sensory integration interventions produce beneficial effects on social skills, adaptive behavior, sensory processing, and both gross and fine motor skills in children with autism.[2] The most effective approaches typically involve one-on-one treatment sessions with trained therapists lasting approximately 40 minutes.
However, a large-scale randomized controlled trial found that while sensory integration therapy showed some positive effects and high acceptability among families, it was not statistically superior to usual care across all outcome measures.[3] This doesn’t mean sensory integration therapy doesn’t help—rather, it suggests that benefits may be individual-specific rather than universal.
The key appears to be matching intervention to individual needs. For some children, structured sensory integration therapy produces meaningful improvements in daily functioning. For others, environmental modifications and practical strategies prove more helpful than formal therapy.
What we know for certain: sensory challenges are real, they significantly impact quality of life, and addressing them improves functioning. The specific approach that works best varies by individual.
Practical Strategies for Daily Life
Families don’t need to wait for formal therapy to implement sensory-supportive strategies. Small environmental modifications and daily routine adjustments can make substantial differences.
Create Sensory-Friendly Spaces: Designate a calm area at home where sensory input is minimized—soft lighting, minimal clutter, comfortable seating, noise-reducing elements. This becomes a refuge during sensory overload. Include preferred sensory tools: weighted blankets, fidget items, noise-canceling headphones, or soft textures the child finds soothing.
Use Visual Supports: Visual schedules reduce anxiety by making routines predictable. When children know what comes next, transitions become easier. Create picture schedules for morning routines, use first-then boards (“First homework, then iPad”), and develop visual checklists for multi-step tasks. Research consistently demonstrates that visual supports help autistic children understand expectations, navigate routines independently, and reduce confusion during transitions.[4]
Implement Sensory Breaks: Build regular sensory input opportunities into the day before overload occurs. This might include jumping on a trampoline, pushing a heavy cart, squeezing stress balls, or engaging in preferred movement activities. Preventive sensory breaks reduce meltdowns by addressing sensory needs proactively.
Modify the Environment: Make strategic changes to reduce sensory challenges. Replace fluorescent bulbs with softer lighting. Use noise-canceling headphones or white noise machines. Remove clothing tags. Offer seamless socks. Keep preferred “safe” foods available. These aren’t indulgences—they’re accommodations that prevent sensory distress.
Develop Coping Strategies: Teach specific techniques for managing unavoidable sensory challenges. Deep breathing exercises, counting strategies, using fidget tools, or seeking out heavy work activities can help children maintain regulation when sensory input becomes overwhelming.
Building Predictable Routines
Predictability serves as a powerful buffer against sensory overwhelm. When children know what to expect, their nervous systems can prepare rather than constantly reacting.
Consistency in daily routines creates a framework that supports regulation. Wake-up times, meal schedules, bedtime routines—maintaining these patterns helps autistic children feel more secure and better able to manage sensory challenges throughout the day.
Visual schedules enhance this predictability by making abstract time concepts concrete. Whether using photographs, picture symbols, or written words (depending on the child’s abilities), visual schedules provide constant reference points throughout the day.[5]
One mother shared: “We photograph every part of our morning routine—getting dressed, breakfast, brushing teeth, backpack by the door. My son checks his schedule independently now. The predictability reduces his anxiety, which reduces sensory sensitivity, which reduces meltdowns. It’s all connected.”
Timers serve as valuable tools for managing transitions. Rather than abrupt changes, timers provide visual and auditory cues that an activity is ending soon. This allows children’s nervous systems to prepare for the transition, significantly reducing resistance and meltdowns.
When Anxiety Amplifies Sensory Sensitivity
Here’s what many families don’t realize: anxiety and sensory sensitivity create a vicious cycle. Anxiety lowers the threshold for sensory overwhelm. Sensory overwhelm triggers anxiety. Round and round it goes.
An autistic child who feels anxious about social situations becomes more sensitive to sensory aspects of those environments—the noise level, physical proximity of others, unpredictable movements. A child anxious about performance becomes more distracted by classroom sensory input. Anxiety and sensory challenges amplify each other.
This is where psychiatric intervention can help to break the cycle. When anxiety receives appropriate treatment—through therapy, medication, or both—many children experience reduced sensory sensitivity. Their nervous systems, no longer in constant fight-or-flight mode, can better process and filter sensory information.
At Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania, we regularly see this connection. Children who struggled with sensory overwhelm for years sometimes experience dramatic improvement when their underlying anxiety is addressed. Not because medication changes sensory processing directly, but because reducing baseline anxiety gives the nervous system more capacity to handle sensory challenges.
We also treat the depression that can develop when sensory sensitivities severely limit life experiences. Children who can’t tolerate birthday parties, can’t eat in restaurants, can’t participate in school activities—they notice these differences. They feel isolated. Sometimes this develops into genuine depression requiring treatment.
Medication doesn’t eliminate sensory differences. But it can reduce the anxiety that amplifies those differences, creating more emotional bandwidth for implementing sensory strategies and participating in daily activities.
Preparing for Challenging Situations
Some situations present unavoidable sensory challenges. Medical appointments, family gatherings, school events—these can’t always be avoided, but they can be prepared for.
Practice in advance: Use toy medical kits to familiarize children with doctor visit procedures. Visit the school before the first day. Drive by the party venue ahead of time. Familiarization reduces anxiety, which reduces sensory sensitivity.
Pack sensory tools: Bring noise-canceling headphones, favorite fidgets, preferred videos on a tablet, or comfort items. Having these available prevents escalating distress.
Plan escape routes: Identify quiet spaces where your child can retreat if overwhelmed. Communicate with hosts or staff about needing brief breaks. Having an exit strategy reduces anxiety about becoming trapped in overwhelming situations.
Communicate needs: Tell teachers, doctors, family members about specific sensory challenges. Most people are accommodating once they understand the situation. “He needs to sit away from the fluorescent lights” or “She processes better with written instructions” helps others support your child.
Set realistic expectations: Some situations may simply be too overwhelming. That’s okay. Protecting your child’s nervous system isn’t overprotectiveness—it’s recognizing genuine limitations. There’s time to gradually expand tolerance; there’s no need to force exposure to overwhelming sensory experiences.
Looking Ahead
Sensory sensitivities often shift across development. Some children become less sensitive with age and intervention. Others learn sophisticated compensatory strategies. Many develop better self-awareness and can advocate for their own sensory needs.
Lily, the girl from our opening story, is now twelve. Her sensory sensitivities haven’t disappeared, but her family has learned to support them. She wears noise-canceling headphones at the grocery store. They shop during quiet times. She has a weighted blanket at home and a fidget in her pocket at school. Her anxiety is treated. She understands her own sensory needs and can communicate them.
Most importantly, her parents stopped viewing sensory sensitivities as problems to eliminate and started seeing them as differences to accommodate. That shift changed everything.
In our final blog of this series, we’ll explore family support systems and building independence—helping families sustain their energy for the long journey while supporting their autistic family member’s growing autonomy.
For families in the Philadelphia area seeking psychiatric support for anxiety, depression, or other mental health factors that amplify sensory sensitivities, Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania in Narberth offers specialized care for autistic individuals and their families.
About the Practice
Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania, located on the Main Line in Narberth, offers personalized, high-quality psychiatric care in a warm and supportive environment. Our team of skilled clinicians provides medication management, therapy, and a full spectrum of mental health services tailored to the unique needs of each client. We welcome individuals seeking first-time care, second opinions, or new treatment options. We strive to make the process as accessible as possible with flexible business hours and strong administrative support. With a focus on empowerment, compassion, and respect, our goal is to help you discover your full potential and build resilience for life’s challenges.
References
- Camino-Alarcón, J., Robles-Bello, M. A., Valencia-Naranjo, N., & Sarhani-Robles, A. (2024). A Systematic Review of Treatment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration Approach. Children, 11(10), 1222. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/10/1222
- Kim, M. J., Kim, J. M., & Oh, D. W. (2024). Effectiveness of sensory integration therapy in children, focusing on Korean children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 13(1), 88782. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10955541/
- Randell, E., Wright, M., Milosevic, S., Gillespie, D., Brookes-Howell, L., Busse-Morris, M., … & Hastings, R. P. (2022). Sensory integration therapy for children with autism and sensory processing difficulties: the SenITA RCT. Health Technology Assessment, 26(29), 1-140. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35766242/
- Wu, L., Yang, X., Guo, Z., & Pan, S. (2024). The use of visual schedules to increase academic-related on-task behaviors of individuals with autism: a literature review. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 1-11. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20473869.2024.2402124
- Pfeiffer, B. A., Koenig, K., Kinnealey, M., Sheppard, M., & Henderson, L. (2011). Effectiveness of sensory integration interventions in children with autism spectrum disorders: A pilot study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(1), 76-85. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3708964/
Medical Disclaimer
This blog is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned in this blog.
