Weighted Vests' Effect on Social Attention for Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background. There is limited research validating the use of weighted vests for problem behaviours/social attention in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) although vests are commonly used in early intervention to improve attention. Purpose. The effect of weighted vests on competing behaviours and joint attention (a pivotal skill for development and a core deficit for toddlers with ASD) in semi-structured play with their mothers was investigated. Methods. A multiple baseline design that included generalization probes to provide evidence of treatment effects across adult female play partners. Unambiguous definitions were created for competing behaviours and joint attention resulting in good inter-observer reliability. Mothers' morale was measured pre- and post-intervention. Findings. There were no replicated effects of vests on competing behaviours or joint attention. Mothers experienced increased morale in spite of null effects of the intervention. Implications. The findings suggest needed re-evaluation of the use of weighted vests with toddlers.

[1]  G. Dawson,et al.  Interventions to Facilitate Auditory, Visual, and Motor Integration in Autism: A Review of the Evidence , 2000, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[2]  W. Dunn.  The Impact of Sensory Processing Abilities on the Daily Lives of Young Children and Their Families: A Conceptual Model , 1997 .

[3]  W. Stone,et al.  Prelinguistic predictors of vocabulary in young children with autism spectrum disorders. , 2005, Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR.

[4]  P. Mundy,et al.  Joint attention, social orienting, and nonverbal communication in autism. , 2000 .

[5]  N. Brady,et al.  Prelinguistic predictors of language growth in children with developmental disabilities. , 2004, Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR.

[6]  Ayres Aj,et al.  Hyper-responsivity to touch and vestibular stimuli as a predictor of positive response to sensory integration procedures by autistic children. , 1980 .

[7]  P. Mundy,et al.  Defining the social deficits of autism: the contribution of non-verbal communication measures. , 1986, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[8]  M. Tomasello,et al.  Social cognition, joint attention, and communicative competence from 9 to 15 months of age. , 1998, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.

[9]  P. Mundy,et al.  Joint Attention and Early Social Communication: Implications for Research on Intervention with Autism , 1997, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[10]  J. Bruner,et al.  The capacity for joint visual attention in the infant , 1975, Nature.

[11]  N L VandenBerg,et al.  The use of a weighted vest to increase on-task behavior in children with attention difficulties. , 2001, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[12]  M. Tomasello.  Joint attention as social cognition. , 1995 .

[13]  Mark Carter,et al.  The Use of Weighted Vests with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Disabilities , 2009, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[14]  Tony Charman,et al.  Why is joint attention a pivotal skill in autism? , 2003, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[15]  J. Hinojosa,et al.  Effects of a weighted vest on attention to task and self-stimulatory behaviors in preschoolers with pervasive developmental disorders. , 2001, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[16]  J. Darrah,et al.  Effects of neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) for cerebral palsy: an AACPDM evidence report. , 2001, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[17]  L. Olson,et al.  Occupational therapists' reported experiences using weighted vests with children with specific developmental disorders. , 2004, Occupational therapy international.

[18]  S. Warren,et al.  Maternal Responsivity Mediates the Relationship Between Prelinguistic Intentional Communication and Later Language , 1999 .

[19]  Dare A. Baldwin,et al.  Understanding the link between joint attention and language. , 1995 .

[20]  D. Hiebert‐Murphy,et al.  Predicting family adjustment and parenting stress in childhood disability services using brief assessment tools , 2005 .

[21]  L. Miller,et al.  Children with disturbances in sensory processing: a pilot study examining the role of the parasympathetic nervous system. , 2003, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[22]  Connie Kasari,et al.  Nonverbal communication, affective sharing, and intersubjectivity , 1992 .

[23]  C. Dunst,et al.  Contingent Social Responsiveness, Family Ecology, and Infant Communicative Competence , 1989 .

[24]  L. Zissermann.  The effects of deep pressure on self-stimulating behaviors in a child with autism and other disabilities. , 1992, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[25]  L. Olson,et al.  Use of Weighted Vests in Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practice , 2004, Physical & occupational therapy in pediatrics.

[26]  W. Dunn,et al.  Initial Development of the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile , 2002 .

[27]  S. Kratz.  Sensory integration intervention: Historical concepts, treatment strategies and clinical experiences in three patients with succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency , 2009, Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease.

[28]  S. Warren,et al.  Prelinguistic Pragmatic Functions as Predictors of Later Expressive Vocabulary , 1999 .

[29]  A. Wetherby,et al.  Prelinguistic predictors of language outcome at 3 years of age. , 2006, Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR.