Optimizing Sensory Loads Using a Sensory Processing Skills Therapy among Autistic Spectrum Disorder

IntroductionSensory integration therapy can improve language skills, attention, and social interactions in children with ASD. However, it is also important to note that research in this field is ongoing, and more studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of these therapies. The present study is aimed to identify the effects of occupational therapy-based sensory processing skill therapies in improving the autism severity and QoL among ASD children. MethodologyThe intervention was performed for 12 weeks, six sessions per week, each based on 60 minutes of duration. The treatment protocol comprised four sensory processing skills in which Each child was trained on every skill for 15 minutes, making a total of 60 minutes of duration for a single session. ResultsSignificant improvements in CARS, CGAS and PedsQL (p<0.001) were observed after 12-weeks of intervention. ConclusionSensory processing skills therapies are a practical treatment approach in optimizing sensory load among ASD children.   DOI: https: //doi. Org/10.59564/amrj/01.01/005

Delinquent Behaviors and Temperament of Prisoners in Context of Childhood Maltreatment

Childhood maltreatment with marked enduring negative effects in adulthood is an invasive issue that continues to confront our society now a days. Childhood maltreatment may influence the individual temperament that may influence the individual tendency through which they interact with community and sometimes resulted into the involvement in delinquent behaviors. Thus, the present study tried to explore the predictive effect of childhood maltreatment towards the temperament formation and then the core investigation was about the different types of temperament that overlook an individual to commit illegal behaviors in form of delinquency. In line with same context, predictive effect of childhood maltreatment towards the delinquency was explored. Another salient investigation was to explore the moderated effect of age and education with main study constructs. Current study has the retrospective nature in which the childhood maltreated experiences were investigated through the adult population. Mainly, study comprised on two distinct phases, first one was the scale development phase and in second phase the study objectives were examined. So, in current study first main objective was the development and the validation of adult temperament scale. In first phase, a reliable self-report measure was developed to screen out the temperamental tendencies among adult population. Initial item pool of 80 items was generated through literature review by keeping in mind the ‘Galen (1938) theory of temperament that postulated the temperament styles into four sub domains including choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine type. Initially developed 80 items scale turned into 72 items after the expert’s evaluation and pilot testing. To screen out the highly correlated items, scale was administered twice on the same population (age range: 18-60 years). Through bivariate correlation 53 highly correlated items become the part of study. For the Factor Analysis sample of 489 adults with same age range was selected from four cities (Lahore, Sialkot, Gujrat, and Rawalpindi) of Punjab District, Pakistan. Exploratory Factor Analysis finally resulted the 26 items scale (KMO= .92) and resulted into four sub factors that reported the 76.69% variance. Whereas, Confirmatory factor analysis pertained the theoretical model with a good model fit index (CFI= .957, CMIN/DF= 2.789, RMSEA= .061, SRMR= .045, NFI= .935, TLI=.952, P = <.01) into four subcategories that were labeled accordingly (Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic and Sanguine). Alpha Reliability of sub scales fall in to good range (choleric = .968, melancholic= .922, phlegmatic = .942, and sanguine = .943). Before the second phase, the assessment measures to study the main constructs were translated from English language to native Urdu language. In this perspective, Child Abuse Self-Report Scale (Mohammadhkani, 2003) was translated into native language Urdu. It was comprised on 41 items with four subscales including Physical Abuse, Psychological Abuse, Sexual Abuse and Neglect. Alpha Reliability of whole scale was α=.91, whereas the Alpha Reliability of subscales was, Physical Abuse= .75, Psychological Abuse=.91, Sexual Abuse=.89, Neglect=.92. Second Scale was Big Five Inventory-10 (Rammstedt & John, 2007). The Subscale Reliability of translated version of Big Five Inventory-10 is as following, Extraversion = .769, Neuroticism = .821, Consciousness=.754, Openness to experience= .810. After the translation phase main study was conducted to explore the predictive relationship between childhood maltreatment, temperament and delinquency. Data of 517 adults was gathered from prisoners with age range of 18 to 60 years (Mean= 39.48) to accomplish the study objectives. Data was collected from four prisons of Punjab by using the purposive sampling technique. Childhood maltreatment was measured through the adapted version of Child Abuse Self-Report Scale (Mohammadhkani, 2003) and temperament tendencies were figure out through Adult Temperament Scale (Anjum & Bano, 2018) while the delinquency was measured through 27 items, Self -Reported Delinquency Scale (Naqvi, 2007). Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to analyze the results. Simple linear and multiple linear regression analyses was used to explore the predictive effect of childhood towards the temperament. Study result indicated that choleric temperament explained the 61.8 % variance, and phlegmatic explained 59.8 % variance, whereas, sanguine explained 54.1 % variance and melancholic explained 40.1 % variance in childhood maltreatment. Whereas, through the multiple linear regression analysis it was revealed that four sub-domains of temperament collectively account 39.9% variance in the delinquency. Simple Linear Regression analysis give the detailed account that choleric sub dimension explained 26 % variance in delinquency. Melancholic sub dimension explained 57.7 % variance in delinquency, whereas, the third dimension of phlegmatic explained the 36.8% variance, Sanguine explained 46.4 percent variation. Moreover, the four subscales of childhood maltreatment collectively account 20.2% variance in the delinquency, whereas the physical abuse explained 33.6 % variation, Psychological abuse explained 26.8 % variation, Sexual Abuse explained 42.2 % variation, whereas, Neglect explained 21.4 % variance in delinquency. Whereas, findings from the SEM analysis highlighted the role of environmental and personal factors in form of childhood maltreatment and temperament towards the delinquency (CFI=901, RMSEA=.047, p<.01). Another marked exploration was the significant moderated effect of Prisoner’s age and their level of education that effect the relationship of temperament towards the childhood maltreatment and the delinquency, in this way results are consistent with views on cumulative pathways to delinquency that undergone through the effect of childhood maltreatment. Results indicated choleric (CFI=.926; SRMR= .049, p<.01) and phlegmatic temperament (CFI=0.911; SRMR= .060; P<.01) mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment and delinquency with marked moderated effect of age and education more as compare to melancholic (CFI=.887, SRMR= .076, p<.01) and sanguine (CFI=.861, SRMR= .075, P<.01). The research findings are discussed in the light of current situation and its future implications.