Occupational Therapy Using Sensory Integration for Enhancing Occupational Performance in Children with Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
One clinic sensory-integration OT visit each week plus a home program lifts daily-living skills higher than the home program alone for 3- to 10-year-olds with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Çorakcı Yazıcıoğlu et al. (2025) split 3- to 10-year-olds with autism into two groups.
One group got only a parent-led home program. The other got the same home program plus one clinic visit each week for sensory-integration occupational therapy.
After several weeks the team compared how well the children handled daily tasks like dressing, eating, and play.
What they found
Kids who added the clinic OT visits showed stronger daily-living skills and higher parent satisfaction than kids who used the home program alone.
The study found positive results, meaning the extra sensory work made a clear difference.
How this fits with other research
Welterlin et al. (2012) also used a home program for toddlers with autism, but without any clinic OT. Their TEACCH plan helped, yet the gains were smaller and parents worked alone.
Kirby et al. (2016) watched autistic children at home and saw that sensory seeking jumped during free play while sensory avoidance spiked during adult-led routines. Zeynep’s weekly OT sessions give therapists a chance to guide sensory input right when these patterns show up, something a home-only plan can’t do.
Wan Yunus et al. (2021) ran a different RCT for 6- to 12-year-olds and found that teaching self-regulation beat activity-based lessons. Both studies used random assignment, but Zeynep focused on younger kids and added sensory OT instead of cognitive training.
Why it matters
If you already send parents home with activity lists, think about tacking on one OT visit a week. The clinic time gives kids guided sensory play that parents can’t easily copy. In return you get faster gains in dressing, feeding, and play skills, plus happier families.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism often have difficulties in managing their daily lives due to occupational performance difficulties in activities related to their roles. The study aimed to examine the efficacy of occupational therapy using sensory integration on occupational performance in children with autism. Thirty-five children aged 3 to 10 years with autism were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 16) or a control group (n = 19). The intervention group received occupational therapy using sensory integration combined with an evidence-based Home Program, while the control group received only the Home Program. Both interventions were delivered once weekly for 16 sessions over four months. Occupational performance was assessed through Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, with individualized goals identified through Goal Attainment Scaling. The goals identified via Canadian Occupational Performance Measure were interpreted in the context of sensory processing patterns and emotional-behavioral responses assessed by the Sensory Profile, providing a data-driven approach to tailor intervention goals. The intervention group demonstrated significantly higher scores in assessing occupational performance (p =.036) and satisfaction (p =.034). The intervention group also achieved the highest + 1 score in Goal Attainment Scaling (n = 5, 31.3%). therapy using sensory integration, combined with a structured Home Program, effectively enhances occupational performance and goal attainment in children with autism, highlighting the value of child-centered, data-driven interventions.Trial registration Clinical trial number (NCT05718362; Date of registration: 2023-02-08)).
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.3390/children8020061