RESUMEN
This study explored the nature, prevalence, and developmental profiles of sensory processing disorders among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants comprised 119 children with ASD and 30 typically developing children and their parents. The Child Sensory Profile-2 was used to assess the children's sensory processing characteristics. The children with ASD exhibited elevated sensory processing difficulties. Deficits were observed in all the sensory modalities among the children with ASD, except the visual processing modality. Age-related improvements were observed in most sensory processing domains, although non-significant differences were noted in three domains. These findings should enhance understanding of the sensory challenges faced by children with ASD and contribute to the development of individually tailored, targeted, and age-specific therapeutic interventions.
RESUMEN
This study aims to determine the prevalence, severity, and nature of the motor abnormalities seen in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as to elucidate the associated developmental profiles. The short-form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) was used to assess various aspects of the motor performance of 119 children with ASD and 30 typically developing children (age range: 6-12 years) from three Gulf states. The results revealed the high prevalence of motor abnormalities among the ASD group when compared with the normative data derived from the BOT-2 manual as well as with the data concerning the typically developing group. The results also indicated that the motor performance of the children with ASD fell within the below-average range according to the BOT-2 cut-off score. Further, the results suggested that the age variable may influence the overall motor performance of children with ASD, since the children's motor abnormalities may decrease with maturation. The results concerning the specific motor dysfunction profiles seen in individuals with ASD could help practitioners, parents, and educators to better understand the nature of the motor deficits exhibited by children with ASD, which could assist with the design and implementation of treatment and rehabilitation programs for such children. Overall, motor performance represents an important aspect that should be considered during the clinical evaluation of ASD and that should not be ignored during early interventions.
RESUMEN
This study examined the executive functioning abilities and development profiles of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants were 119 children with ASD and 30 typically developing children (age range: 6-12 years) who were recruited from three Gulf states. The findings revealed executive functioning deficits in the ASD population when compared to the normative data or to those children without ASD. However, not all the forms of executive functioning were found to be impaired. Age-related differences in the patterns of performance on the utilized measures of executive functioning were also identified. The overall findings provide valuable information regarding the different components of the executive functions, which may prove useful in relation to the development of assessment protocols for ASD.