Sensory processing of learners in the Western Cape diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: BackgroundTemperament and sensory thresholds play an important part in how a person processes sensoryinformation. Because people are differently construed, the way we perceive sensory informationand act on the information will differ. Any person who suffers from an ailment or condition thatinterferes with this process of receiving, interpreting and acting on stimuli from our environmentsmay find this process even harder. Behavioural observations that deviate from the norm are oftenfound in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sensory processingdisorder (SPD). More recent research focused on the relationship between ADHD and SPD. Dunndeveloped the Sensory Profile Caregiver1 and Sensory Profile School Companion2 (SPSC)measures to identify children's sensory processing difficulties. Although many studies have beenconducted using the Sensory Profile, no studies have been conducted outside the United States ofAmerica (USA) to establish whether Dunn's SPSC will differentiate between children who areconsidered to be normal and those diagnosed with ADHD.AimThe aim of this study was to investigate how learners with ADHD in the Western Cape wouldperform on Dunn's Sensory Profile School Companion (SPSC) and the ADHD Rating Scale-IV³ inorder to assess the sensory processing problems of learners with ADHD in South Africa (see noteend of abstract).MethodologyA descriptive study was conducted using a convenience sample (n=108) from learners in theWestern Cape between the ages of five and ten years and diagnosed with ADHD. Data collectionconsisted of a demographical form completed by the parents/legal guardians of the learners, aswell as the completion of two questionnaires by the educator of the learners. The firstquestionnaire, the ADHD Rating Scale-IV, was used to classify the learners into subtypes ofADHD. The second questionnaire was Dunn's SPSC, which is a teacher-report measure oflearners' responses to sensory input in the school environment.The following statistical analyses were performed: • descriptive statistics to provide means, medians and measurements of dispersion of thelearners in the Western Cape on the SPSC;• The Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA probability value to consider if significant differencesexisted between the medians of the 13 group scores of the SPSC; and• The Welsh T-test to compare learners with ADHD in the Western Cape with SPSC normsand Dunn's sample of learners with ADHD.ResultsThe results showed that there were significant differences (p=0.000) on all 13 group scores of theSPSC in learners with ADHD in the Western Cape showing significantly more behaviourscharacterising poorer sensory processing, when compared to Dunn's normal sample. Thecomparison to Dunn's sample of learners with ADHD did not yield significant differences in 11 ofthe 13 group scores, indicating that learners with ADHD in the Western Cape did not differ fromDunn's ADHD learners. Avoiding and School Factor 4 showed significant differences, with theWestern Cape group showing more extreme behaviours related to sensory input than Dunn'sgroup.The results using the ADHD Rating Scale-IV were less significant and it was found that the ratingscale could not differentiate between the two types of ADHD, although some inferences could bemade regarding the use (or not) of medication. There was a significant difference (p < 0.01) on theinattentive, hyperactive-impulsivity and total scores of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV with learners noton medication showing a higher frequency of ADHD behaviours.ConclusionDunn's SPSC was found to be a good measure to assess learners with ADHD's sensoryprocessing problems. The ADHD Rating Scale-IV, on the other hand, could not classify thelearners into the subtypes and therefore cannot be used when learners are already usingmedication. Further investigation is recommended to try to establish a link between the differentsubtypes of ADHD and the placement of learners on the different quadrants of Dunn's SPSC aswell as the School Factors and Sensory Section Scores.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University