The effects of sensory integration intervention on the reduction of maladaptive behaviors in high school students with autism

Abstract

A single-case experimental design with multiple baseline reversal was conducted to determine the effects of sensory integration intervention on the reduction of maladaptive behaviors in high school students with autism. Four participants with a diagnosis of autism coupled with sensory integration dysfunction ranging in ages from 16 to 17 participated in this study. Individually designed sensory integration intervention (SII) was administered three times per week during the two week intervention phases of the study (B) and (B2). Following administration of individualized SII, participants engaged in an independent pre-vocational task. The use of SII produced improvements in level of engagement for each of the participants with significant decreases in performance upon removal of treatment. A decrease in level of maladaptive behavior occurred during the intervention phases for each participant. The findings of this study may provide support for the use of SII for increasing level of engagement in task work and functional performance while reducing maladaptive behaviors in high school students with autism.