- weighted garments/objects

- swaddling

- holding

- stroking

- therapeutic brushing

Types of Deep Pressure Therapy

- rewarding

- reduces symptoms of stress and anxiety

- improved school performance

Benefits of Deep Pressure Therapy

Strategic use of deep pressure (defined as the sensation provided when an individual is hugged, squeezed, stroked, or held), often used by occupational therapists when working with patients with ASD

Ithaca College

The DSM-5 criteria for children with ASD includes deficits in sensory processing, specifically sensory modulation. Any sensory modality may be affected but some evidence suggests that individuals with ASD have a greater frequency of sensory deficits in the domains of taste and smell, as well as tactile sensitivity. 

- neurobiology of sensory symptoms in ASD

Sensory Processing Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Bestbier, L. & Williams, T. (2017). "The Immediate Effects of Deep Pressure on Young People with Autism and Severe Intellectual Difficulties: Demonstrating Individual Differences", Occupational Therapy International, vol. 2017, Article ID 7534972, 7 pages, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7534972

The Immediate Effects of Deep Pressure on Young People with Autism and Severe Intellectual Difficulties: Demonstrating Individual Differences

While children with ASD may also have deficits in sensory processing, the behavioral profiles of sensory processing in children with ASD and children with SPD may differ. 

Differentiating between Sensory Processing Disorder and Austism Spectrum Disorder

Since more than half of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) display sensory over-responsivity, are there differences in brain response, habituation, and connectivity during exposure to sensory stimuli between children with ASD and sensory over-responsivity, compared to neurotypical children?

Neurobiology of sensory symptoms in ASD (research question)

Treatment (and possible treatment) for Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder

The neurotransmitter GABA is heavily involved in sensory integration, and reduced GABA levels have been observed in children with ASD compared to children without ASD

This could be a key reason for sensory issues in ASD, with sensory processing issues having a prevalence rate of 90% in people with ASD

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