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The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) suggests humans learn through visual and auditory sensory channels. Haptics represent a third channel within CTML and a missing component for experiential learning. The objective was to measure visual and haptic behaviors during spatial tasks. The haptic abilities test (HAT) quantifies results in several realms, accuracy, time, and strategy. The HAT was completed under three sensory conditions using sight (S), haptics (H), and sight with haptics (SH). Subjects (n = 22, 13 females (F), 20-28 years) completed the MRT (10.6 ± 5.0, mean ± SD) and were classified as high or low spatial abilities scores with respect to mean MRT: high spatial abilities (HSA) (n = 12, 6F, MRT = 13.7 ± 3.0), and low spatial ability (LSA) groups (n = 10, 7F, MRT = 5.6 ± 2.0). Video recordings gaze and hand behaviors were compared between HSA and LSA groups across HAT conditions. The HSA group spent less time fixating on mirrored objects, an erroneous answer option, of HAT compared to the LSA group (11.0 ± 4.7 vs. 17.8 ± 7.3 s, p = 0.020) in S conditions. In haptic conditions, HSA utilized a hand--object interaction strategy characterized as palpation, significantly less than the LSA group (23.2 ± 16.0 vs. 43.1 ± 21.5 percent, p = 0.022). Before this study, it was unclear whether haptic sensory inputs appended to the mental schema models of the CTML. These data suggest that if spatial abilities are challenged, LSA persons both benefit and utilize strategies beyond the classic CTML framework by using their hands as a third input channel. This data suggest haptic behaviors offer a third type of sensory memory resulting in improved cognitive performance.

Student well-being is an increasing area of concern within higher education and one of the biggest causes of attrition. This study sought to investigate the potential for sensory modulation strategies as an approach to support student well-being and engagement in studies through an action research project. Sixteen second-year occupational therapy students took part in a two-week trial of items designed to support sensory modulation, following which they were asked to complete an online survey evaluating the effectiveness of the item in relation to affect, regulation, attention, and activity. Eight students completed the survey containing a mix of Likert scale and free text responses. Results of the surveys were analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis of numerical data and quantitative content analysis of textual data informed by a pre-existing framework derived from a model of Sensory Integration. While preliminary in nature, the results of the survey suggested a positive impact on affect, specifically anxiety, overall regulation, and ability to engage in studies, suggesting a connection between these factors. An additional code was identified during the analysis of strategy mismatch to reflect barriers encountered relating to the extent of and longevity of use of the strategies. Further research on a larger scale is needed to more fully investigate the potential of this approach for facilitating increased student well-being.

Purpose: Restricted and repetitive behaviours are a core feature of autism diagnoses but have not been widely studied in adulthood. This study examined the rates of and associations between repetitive behaviours and sensory sensitivity in autistic and non-autistic adults; and whether repetitive behaviours described as "stimming" impacted coping with difficulties (self-efficacy). Methods: Diagnosed autistic (n = 182), undiagnosed autistic (n = 163) and non-autistic (n = 146) adults completed online measures of repetitive behaviours, sensory sensitivity, and self-efficacy for when able and not able to stim. Results: Repetitive behaviours and sensory sensitivity correlated significantly in each group, although ratings were higher in autistic compared to non-autistic groups. When people were able to stim, no differences between the groups were observed on self-efficacy ratings. However when unable to stim, autistic people reported lower self-efficacy than non-autistic people. Conclusions: Results suggest that repetitive behaviours are significantly associate with sensory sensitivities. Rather than repetitive behaviours being viewed as negative, stimming was associated with increased self-efficacy. Results suggest that stimming may have beneficial effects. Further work is needed to better understand how repetitive behaviours and stimming manifest in adulthood, how they change over time and their effects for autistic adults.

Music performance is an intensive sensorimotor task that involves the generation of mental representations of musical information that are actively accessed, maintained, and manipulated according to the demands of the performance. Internal representations and external information interact through feedback and feedforward processes that adjust the musician's motor behavior to optimize a musical performance. This study aimed to examine the relationship between altered sensory feedback and performance errors. Seventeen experienced pianists aged between 33 and 54 years performed Hanon Exercise N°1 from memory under four different conditions: (1) normal (normal sensory feedback); (2) closed fallboard (altered haptic and auditory feedback); (3) blindfolded (altered visual feedback); and (4) combined (blindfolded and closed fallboard; altered haptic, auditory, and visual feedback). Performance errors were quantified based on a video analysis of the performances. Results indicated that compared with normal performance, participants made significantly more note errors in the blindfolded condition and more bar-adding errors per trial in the closed fallboard condition. The comparison between the normal condition and the three altered sensory feedback conditions revealed the impact of altering sensory feedback in musical performance. These findings are discussed in the context of music learning.

Fidget devices are often used in classrooms to help students move their bodies while attending to academic or behavioral directives. Devices range from small handheld tools such as spinners and tangle puzzles to larger full-body devices such as exercise balls. The current study provides a meta-analysis of the effects of fidget devices as academic and behavioral interventions in single-case design studies. Ten studies with a total of 59 students were included in the analysis. Results indicate that the effects of fidget devices vary widely with Tau-BC effects ranging from -1.00 to 1.00 and log-response ratio (LRR) effects ranging from -1.37 to 2.18. There is an overall positive treatment effect with LRR = 0.32 (95% CI = [0.08, 0.56]) and Tau-BC = 0.33 (95% CI = [0.02, 0.64]). The only moderating variables were, when considering the Tau-BC effect size estimates, methodological rigor and intervention implementation; studies that met What Works Clearinghouse methodological standards and were implemented within group settings had significantly higher effects than those studies that did not meet standards. Discussion explores connections to behavior analytic and sensory integration therapies and implications for fidget devices as interventions in schools.

The dorsal stream vulnerability hypothesis posits that the dorsal stream, responsible for visual motion and visuo-motor processing, may be particularly vulnerable during neurodevelopment. Consistent with this, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with deficits in global motion integration, though deficits in ventral stream tasks, such as form identification, have also been reported. In the current study, we examined whether a similar pattern of results is found in a cohort of 381 children born with neurodevelopmental risk factors and exhibiting a wide spectrum of caregiver-reported autistic traits. Methods: We examined the associations between global motion perception, global form perception, fine motor function, visual-motor integration, and autistic traits (autism spectrum quotient, AQ) using linear regression, accounting for possible interactions with sex and other factors relevant to neurodevelopment. Results: All assessments of dorsal stream function were significantly associated with AQ such that worse performance predicted higher AQ scores. We also observed a significant sex interaction, with worse global form perception associated with higher AQ in boys (n = 202) but not girls (n = 179). Conclusion: We found widespread associations between dorsal stream functions and autistic traits. These associations were observed in a large group of children with a range of AQ scores, demonstrating a range of visual function across the full spectrum of autistic traits. In addition, ventral function was associated with AQ in boys but not girls. Sex differences in the associations between visual processing and neurodevelopment should be considered in the designs of future studies.

Proprioceptive kinaesthetic control underpins motor movements of developing children and can be influenced by several factors. The main aim of this study was to establish proprioceptive kinaesthetic coordination differences in six-year-olds from different school quintiles, of different genders, and with different handedness. A total of 193 six-year-olds from 10 schools of different quintiles in the Motheo District, Mangaung, were included, of which 97 (50.3%) were boys and 96 (49.7%) were girls. A quantitative cross-sectional study design was followed to determine proprioceptive kinaesthetic coordination differences. Right-handed participants performed significantly better than left-handed participants in the Finger-to-Nose task (p = 0.0125) when moving and positioning their dominant arm and hand. When using their dominant arm, significant differences in the shoulder-level-arm-raise (p = 0.0288) favoured boys. Girls showed superior execution of the force perception task (p = 0.0322). In conclusion, significant proprioceptive kinaesthetic coordination differences in six-year-olds were mainly not evident. Future work should explore proprioceptive kinaesthetic coordination differences in children of other ages and determine the practical implications of identified differences.

We aimed to identify unique constellations of sensory phenotypes for genetic etiologies associated with diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). Caregivers reported on sensory behaviors via the Sensory Profile for 290 participants (younger than 25 years of age) with ASD and/or ID diagnoses, of which [approximately] 70% have a known pathogenic genetic etiology. Caregivers endorsed poor registration (i.e., high sensory threshold, passive behaviors) for all genetic subgroups relative to an "idiopathic" comparison group with an ASD diagnosis and without a known genetic etiology. Genetic profiles indicated prominent sensory seeking in "ADNP," "CHD8," and "DYRK1A," prominent sensory sensitivities in "SCN2A," and fewer sensation avoidance behaviors in "GRIN2B" (relative to the idiopathic ASD comparison group).

Background: Perceptual motor development is crucial during early childhood and not properly addressing it in physical education (PE) can be detrimental. Aim: To determine the effect of a South African curriculum-aligned PE intervention on the visual-motor integration (VMI), visual perception (VP) and motor coordination (MC) of 6-year-old children. Setting: Quintile 3 schools in Mangaung, Free State Province, South Africa. Methods: Grade 1 children from two quintile 3 schools in Mangaung were recruited. Complete data sets were obtained for 44 participants. A quantitative randomised control trial design was followed. The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, Sixth Edition (Beery VMI-6), determined participants' VMI, VP and MC during the pre- and post-tests. The "KaziKidz" toolkit was used as intervention during 10 sessions of 40 min each for the experimental group, while the control group continued with the South African PE curriculum. The Fisher's exact and Kruskal--Wallis tests were used for pre- and post-test comparisons, with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results: The median age of the control (n = 18) and intervention (n = 26) groups was 6.7 and 6.5 years, respectively. Post intervention, the intervention group displayed significantly improved VMI (p = 0.042) and VP (p < 0.001), compared to the control group. No significant differences between the groups were observed for MC. Conclusion: Exposure to PE including perceptual motor aspects significantly improved the VMI and VP of 6-year-old children. Contribution: Results deemed the "KaziKidz" toolkit to be a successful mode of PE delivery to improve the perceptual skills of Grade 1 learners in South Africa.

Many datasets resulting from participant ratings for word norms and also concreteness ratios are available. However, the concreteness information of infrequent words and non-words is rare. This work aims to propose a model for estimating the concreteness of infrequent and new lexicons. Here, we used Lancaster sensory-motor word norms to predict the word concreteness ratios of an English word dataset. After removing the missing values, we employed a stepwise multiple linear regression (SW-MLR) procedure for choosing an optimum number of norms to develop a predictive multiple regression model. Finally, we validate our model using 10-fold cross-validation. The final model could predict concreteness by Residual Mean Standard Error equal to 0.723 and R-Square of 0.515. Also, our results showed that all 11 variables of this dataset except the Head-mouth parameter are useful predictors. In conclusion, as a growing demand to know the concreteness values of non-words and also infrequent words is evident, our statistical method can pave the way for controlled experiments when choosing non-words as a stimulus is critical. [Note: The publication year (2024) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct year of publication is 2023.]

Musicians who play instruments may suffer from some musculoskeletal disorders due to intense and long working processes, wrong posture-holding, insufficient bodily awareness. Preparatory physical exercises can be used to prevent or alleviate these disorders. These are aimed at warming up, opening-stretching, strengthening the joints and muscles and maintaining the correct posture in order to prepare the body for playing. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the pre-service music teacher candidates' physical exercises for instrument practice. A qualitative method was used in the research; a semi-structured interview form was applied to the study group. In the analysis of the data, the thematic analysis technique was used. As a result of the analysis, 4 main themes including "exercise experience", "breath awareness", "physical pains" and "effects of exercise" and 9 sub themes and 49 codes depending on these themes were revealed. As a result of the research, it was concluded that music teacher candidates did not do regular exercise work for instrument study, they experienced physical pain due to instrument study, their breath awareness was not at a sufficient level, and exercise had physical and psychological effects on instrument performance. In addition to medical treatments for musician injuries related to instrument playing, physical awareness and exercise training that prevent these disorders play an extremely important role. In instrument education, besides technical and musical concepts, it is necessary to research and apply ways to bring physical awareness to students. [Paper presented at the International Conference on New Horizons in Education (INTE) (July 28-29, 2022).]

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) impacts the quality of life and ability to perform coordinated actions in 5% of school-aged children. The quality of body representations of individuals with DCD has been questioned, but never assessed. We hypothesize that children with DCD have imprecise body representations in the sensory and motor domains. Twenty neurotypical children, seventeen children with DCD (8-12 years old) and twenty neurotypical adults (25-45 years old) performed both sensory and motor body representation tasks: a limb identification and a limb movement task. We observed lower accuracy in the sensory task but not in the motor task. In both tasks, we observe a larger amplitude of errors, or synkinesis, in children with DCD than in neurotypical children. In neurotypical children, accuracy was lower than in neurotypical adults in the motor and sensory task, and the amplitude of sensory errors and synkinesis was higher than in neurotypical adults. Using a linear regression model, we showed that sensory accuracy is a good predictor of synkinesis production, and that synkinesis production is a good predictor of sensory accuracy, as can be expected by the perception-action loop. Results support the hypothesis of an imprecision of body representation in DCD. We suggest that this imprecision arises from noise in the body representation used at the level of internal models of action. Future studies may assess whether slower plasticity of body representations, initial imprecision, or both may account for this observation. At the clinical level, prevention strategies targeting body representation in early childhood are strategically important to limit such impairments.

STEAM has gained traction across informal and formal educational settings, but the connections between STEAM disciplines are not always obvious to youth. We argue that an explicit focus on how art and STEM overlap in the world, and how these overlaps connect personally to learner's interests and concerns, is a way to support the development of STEAM-related identities. We developed a "STEAM objects" pedagogical activity aimed at explicitly surfacing the ways that art and STEM are intertwined in everyday objects, as well as the ways that STEAM is connected to learners' own lives. We piloted the activity with educators, asking what they took up from the experience. Our results show how the educators made connections to land, historicity, their professions, function, aesthetics, and agency of materials during the activity. The STEAM objects served as boundary objects that illustrated the integrative nature of art and STEM in the world, as well as bridging important aspects of their lives and STEAM. We discuss the importance of recognizing and leveraging the multiplicities of meaning and ways of knowing, as well as implications for the classroom.

Strategies to support children's participation when their sensory needs are not met are misunderstood and not sufficiently supported by scientific evidence. However, early childhood educators who work with autistic children in an inclusive setting need support to understand these reactions and implement effective strategies to promote their participation. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the outcomes of a capacity-building intervention, including five educational videos and three to five coaching sessions, to support educators in the identification and implementation of strategies to promote the participation of an autistic child. A multiple case study was conducted in six different early childhood daycares with six dyads of educators and autistic children aged between three and five years old. Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated to ensure validity. Educators implemented different strategies throughout the project, but the strategies were more complex during the coaching sessions. The strategies implemented by the educators facilitated the performance of autistic children in 63% of the goals identified. This article suggests that building capacity of educators can promote autistic children's participation and emphasizes the relevance of inclusive strategies.

This systematic review aims to verify whether tools designed to assess Ayres Sensory Integration constructs take into account the basic principles of current early childhood intervention approaches, namely the family-centered approach, child and family routines, and natural contexts. This systematic review was based on a standard protocol constructed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) statement and included 323 publications. From these publications, we identified seven sensory integration assessment instruments for children up to 6 years old which are compatible with recommended early intervention practice. This study identified the instruments for sensory integration assessment in young children and related them with current principles of early childhood approaches. The findings may help researchers and clinicians choose instruments.

Education is a primary childhood occupation. Dysfunction in sensory processing can make it challenging for children to succeed in school. School-based occupational therapy (SBOT) services address these differences through sensory-based interventions. Limited research exists to support the use of sensory-based interventions in school-based settings. The purpose of this study is to summarize existing research supporting the use of sensory-based interventions in SBOT and to identify gaps in the literature. A scoping review methodological framework was used to search seven databases. Descriptive numerical summary and qualitative thematic analysis were used to summarize and report the results. Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria for this study. Quantitative results describe variations in diagnoses, outcomes, and intervention types. Major qualitative themes include the impact of sensory-based interventions on classroom participation and engagement, and the efficacy of treatment methods used in SBOT. Gaps in the literature include the long-term effects and specificity of sensory-based interventions. There are many factors that may influence the effectiveness of interventions. Individualized OT services are needed to consider the intricacies of the child-environment interaction. Additional research is needed to support the efficacy of sensory-based interventions in SBOT.

In this study, we aimed to analyze the incremental effects of sensory integration therapy (SIT) plus neurodevelopmental therapy (NT) versus NT alone on the attention and motor skills in children with Down syndrome (DS). We randomly assigned into experimental (i.e. SIT + NT; n = 21) and control (i.e. NT alone; n = 21) groups. While NT was applied to both groups for six weeks, SIT was applied simultaneously to the experimental group for six weeks. Participants' motor functions (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency--Short form (BOT-2 SF)) and attention skills (Stroop TBAG (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Association) Form) were evaluated before and after treatment (6 weeks later). Stroop TBAG and BOT-2 SF scores of the groups were similar at the baseline (p > 0.05). Significant improvement from baseline was observed in both BOT-2 SF, and Stroop TBAG results in both groups (p < 0.05). In addition, the improvement in both BOT-2 SF and Stroop TBAG results was found to be greater in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). There were clear advantages to adding SIT to NT alone when seeking to improve motor and attention skills in children with DS.

Early differences in sensory responsiveness may contribute to difficulties with communication among autistic children; however, this theory has not been longitudinally assessed in infants at increased familial versus general population-level likelihood for autism (Sibs-autism vs. Sibs-NA) using a comprehensive battery of sensory responsiveness and communication. In a sample of 40 infants (20 Sibs-autism, of whom six were later diagnosed with autism; 20 Sibs-NA), we tested (a) associations between sensory responsiveness at 12-18 months and communication 9 months later and (b) evaluated whether such associations were moderated by sibling group, autism diagnosis, or age. We found negative zero-order correlations between sensory responsiveness (i.e., caregiver reported hyperresponsiveness and hyporesponsiveness; an observational measure of hyperresponsiveness) and later communication. Additionally, caregiver reported sensory seeking was negatively associated with later expressive communication only in Sibs-NA. Limitations include our relatively small sample size of infants diagnosed with autism. Implications for future research are discussed.

Sensory differences are highly prevalent in autistic individuals. However, few studies have compared their presentation between autistic males and autistic females. We used psychophysics to assess and compare tactile perceptual sensitivity between autistic and non-autistic boys and girls aged between 8 and 12 years of age. While there were sex-differences of amplitude discrimination, frequency discrimination and order judgement thresholds, these sex-differences were not autism-specific. Mean RTs and detection thresholds were elevated in autism but were comparable between the sexes. Tactile sensitivity measures that are elevated in autism but are otherwise comparable between autistic males and autistic females suggest the possibility that certain sensory features could be used as sex-indifferent markers of autism. Further investigation with larger and more representative samples should be conducted before any stronger conclusions are made.

This study characterizes the subcortical auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) and cortical auditory processing (P1 and Mismatch Negativity; MMN) to speech sounds and their relationship to autistic traits and sensory features within the same group of autistic children (n = 10) matched on age and non-verbal IQ to their typically developing (TD) peers (n = 21). No speech-ABR differences were noted, but autistic individuals had larger P1 and faster MMN responses. Correlations revealed that larger P1 amplitudes and MMN responses were associated with greater autistic traits and more sensory features. These findings highlight the complexity of the auditory system and its relationships to behaviours in autism, while also emphasizing the importance of measurement and developmental matching.

This paper aims to show the effects of actions focused on supporting the development of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Conducted with an eclectic approach, these actions sought techniques tailored to the individual person and their problems. Children aged 5-7 years underwent a two-stage diagnostic procedure (preliminary and final) using Schopler's Psychoeducational Profile (the PEP-R test). Between these two measurement points, they participated in a year long development support program using sensory integration stimulation techniques, fine motor skills stimulation, and dog therapy/animal-assisted therapy. The results obtained in each case attest to the applied proposals' effectiveness yet do not allow for general conclusions to be reached. However, they can be a prerequisite for conducting a broader research project and developing personalised early intervention programs for children with ASD.

Sensory reading refers to reading that engages all six of the human senses - vison, hearing, touch, gustation, olfaction and proprioception. The author proposes that increased attention be paid to the three 'hidden' senses of gustation, olfaction and proprioception to advance innovative reading studies. She articulates the problematic of visually dominated multimodal research and print--digital media comparison studies, and extends the reading field to sensory reading that is not tied to a specific medium or mode of engagement but mediated by individualised sensory stimuli. This cross-disciplinary discussion of sensory reading opens up a new vista for affective literacies and integrates the tensions that emerge between psychological and new media studies concerned with material, ephemeral and embodied reading. This approach refines Rosenblatt's transaction theory and contributes new insights into materiality, ephemerality and the embodiment of reading, which dominate contemporary reading studies.

Many autistic children show musical interests and good musical skills including pitch and melodic memory. Autistic children may also perceive temporal regularities in music such as the primary beat underlying the rhythmic structure of music given some work showing preserved rhythm processing in the context of basic, nonverbal auditory stimuli. The temporal regularity and prediction of musical beats can potentially serve as an excellent framework for building skills in non-musical areas of growth for autistic children. We examine if autistic children are perceptually sensitive to the primary beat of music by comparing the musical beat perception skills of autistic and neurotypical children. Twenty-three autistic children and 23 neurotypical children aged 6-13 years with no group differences in chronological age and verbal and nonverbal mental ages completed a musical beat perception task where they identified whether beeps superimposed on musical excerpts were on or off the musical beat. Overall task performance was above the theoretical chance threshold of 50% but not the statistical chance threshold of 70% across groups. On-beat (versus off-beat) accuracy was higher for the autistic group but not the neurotypical group. The autistic group was just as accurate at detecting beat alignments (on-beat) but less precise at detecting beat misalignments (off-beat) compared to the neurotypical group. Perceptual sensitivity to beat alignments provides support for spared music processing among autistic children and informs on the accessibility of using musical beats and rhythm for cultivating related skills and behaviours (e.g., language and motor abilities).

There has been a rise in autistic pupils in the mainstream classroom. Teachers have often reported frustration caused by a lack of training on managing autistic pupils' presentations. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an online training programme comprising the main paradigms and resources of the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum on teachers' sense of self-efficacy when managing autistic pupils' self-regulation needs in the mainstream primary school classroom. Purposive sampling was used to identify primary 5, 6 and 7 teachers with at least one autistic pupil with self-regulation needs in their current class. An occupational therapist with post-graduate qualifications in autism and sensory processing provided a 2.5-hour online training session on the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum for participants. The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was completed pre- and post-training and at two-month follow-up. The Usage Rating Profile-Intervention Revised was completed post-training and a survey exploring participants' experience of implementing the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum with their autistic pupils was completed at two-month follow-up. Findings showed that online training in the use of the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum significantly improved TSES scores for teachers (p < 0.001). The curriculum was also shown to be an acceptable, understandable and feasible intervention for primary school teachers in the mainstream classroom. This study suggests that education authorities should consider providing training opportunities on the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum to support teachers in the mainstream classroom. It also demonstrates the important role occupational therapists, with post-graduate qualifications in autism and sensory processing, have in capacity building within education.

Purpose: Categorical perception (CP) manifests in various aspects of human cognition. While there is mounting evidence for CP in facial emotions, CP in vocal emotions remains understudied. The current study attempted to test whether individuals with a tonal language background perceive vocal emotions categorically and to examine how factors such as gender and age influence the plasticity of these perceptual categories. Method: This study examined the identification and discrimination performance of 24 Mandarin-speaking children (14 boys and 10 girls) and 32 adults (16 males and 16 females) when they were presented with three vocal emotion continua. Speech stimuli in each continuum consisted of 11 resynthesized Mandarin disyllabic words. Results: CP phenomena were detected when Mandarin participants perceived vocal emotions. We further found the modulating effect of age and gender in vocal emotion categorization. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate for the first time that a categorical strategy is used by Mandarin speakers when perceiving vocal emotions. Furthermore, our findings reveal that the categorization ability of vocal emotions follows a prolonged course of development and the maturation patterns differ across genders. This study opens a promising line of research for investigating how sensory features are mapped to higher order perception and provides implications for our understanding of clinical populations characterized by altered emotional processing.

Arts integration enriches learning experiences by fostering creativity, critical thinking, and emotional expression, thereby enhancing students' overall cognitive and social development.While all students benefit significantly from arts integration, students who struggle in a particular academic area can rediscover their love for learning. Students who may not show success with traditional approaches to learning often find success through arts integration. That success then gives them more self-confidence to keep learning and growing.By incorporating rigorous assessment measures and collecting data on student outcomes, researchers have been able to demonstrate the effectiveness of arts integration across diverse populations and settings.

The use of mobile applications (apps) is popular among parents and teachers due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of implementation, and the number of apps with the specific aim to increase eye contact for children with autism is growing rapidly. However, research is limited to assess the efficiency of the majority of the apps available for educational purposes. This study was conducted to determine whether the addition of video modeling via an app to ongoing classroom instruction could increase eye contact with familiar and unfamiliar people in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An experimental pretest-posttest control group design was applied with a full intervention group, a partial intervention group, and a control group. Forty-four U.S. students diagnosed with ASD, in kindergarten through third grade, engaged with social skill modules using an iPad app called We Are Friends. The frequency and duration of eye contact were measured. A 3-month follow-up test was given to determine maintenance. Results suggest the addition of the app was effective in increasing eye contact in children with ASD with both familiar and unfamiliar individuals.

The present study explored the relationship between biological motion (BioM) processing, motor skills, and autistic traits within a non-clinical sample of 621 adults (18-73 years, 51.8% female). Results indicated that adults with greater autistic traits also endorsed difficulties associated with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in childhood and adulthood. Traits associated with autism spectrum disorder and DCD were predictive of BioM processing abilities. The results also revealed sex differences in DCD, autistic traits, and BioM processing. Overall, these findings suggest that adults with greater autistic traits experience both deficits in motor activities as well as underlying motor perceptual abilities.

Several studies have explored the use of iconic gestures to improve the learning of foreign vocabulary. In this quest, words for abstract concepts have been largely neglected, under the assumption that abstract concepts have poor or non-existent sensory-motor representations. Yet, the Conceptual Metaphor Theory suggests that they are grounded on concrete concepts. Moreover, analyses of signed languages reveal ways in which signs can exploit metonymies and conceptual metaphors to iconically refer to abstract concepts. Here, we explore whether iconic signs from Spanish Sign Language (LSE) can facilitate the learning of foreign words for abstract concepts in hearing participants who do not know any sign language. In two studies, participants were presented with new labels for abstract and concrete concepts in an artificial language (Vimmi). The labels could be accompanied by either a video of an iconic or non-iconic sign taken from the existing vocabulary of LSE, or a static image of the signer. In study 1, participants did not have to enact the signs they were presented with, while in study 2 they did. Both studies showed that iconic signs facilitated the learning of abstract foreign vocabulary, regardless of enactment. The strategies that sign languages use to develop iconic signs for abstract concepts make those signs useful to assist the learning of foreign words by hearing non-signers.

The ability to extract patterns from sensory input across time and space is thought to underlie the development and acquisition of language and literacy skills, particularly the subdomains marked by the learning of probabilistic knowledge. Thus, impairments in procedural learning are hypothesized to underlie neurodevelopmental disorders, such as dyslexia and developmental language disorder. In the present meta-analysis, comprising 2396 participants from 39 independent studies, the continuous relationship between language, literacy, and procedural learning on the Serial Reaction Time task (SRTT) was assessed across children and adults with typical development (TD), dyslexia, and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Despite a significant, but very small, relationship between procedural learning and overall language and literacy measures, this pattern was not observed at the group-level when examining TD, dyslexic, and DLD groups separately. Based on the procedural/declarative model, a positive relationship was expected between procedural learning and language and literacy measures for the typically developing group; however, no such relationship was observed. This was also the case for the disordered groups (ps > 0.05). Also counter to expectations, the magnitude of the relationship between procedural learning and grammar and phonology did not differ between TD and DLD (ps > 0.05), nor between the TD and dyslexic group on reading, spelling, and phonology (ps > 0.05). While lending little support to the procedural/declarative model, we consider that these results may be the consequence of poor psychometric properties of the SRTT as a measure of procedural learning.

Our study tried to assess the effect of the Special Movement Education Program on the balance skills of children with intellectual disabilities. We used the experimental design of 23 children with intellectual disabilities between the ages of seven and ten in a special education and rehabilitation center in Burdur, Turkey formed the study group. We applied the Basic Movement Training Program designed to develop balance skills to the experimental group. We practiced 22 courses of 45 minutes two days a week for 11 weeks before and after the application. The study continued for 13 weeks. We used Sensory Profile Test, Pediatric Balance Scale, Flamingo Balance Test, Balance Test on Walking Device, Standing Test on Balance Device, and Balance Measurement Device data collection tools. Mann Whitney U Test and Wilcoxon Test, which are non-parametric tests, were used in this study. We found a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group. The finding results revealed that children with intellectual disabilities improved their balance skills with movement training.

The following article looks at the role movement and sensorial stimuli do play in the educational approaches of Dr. Maria Montessori and Dr. Emmi Pikler as well as the Sensorial Integration and Psychomotor Therapy. The author of this paper has been studying, applying, and teaching all four approaches for many years and used her expertise in all four approaches to look at whether independent scientific research proves the effectiveness of movement and sensorial stimuli for reaching therapeutic as well as educational goals and to also provide scientific evidence for the fact that all four approaches focus on the role of these two factors, which means that this is a comparative study utilizing existing research papers. The methods of applying movement and sensorial stimuli in the four approaches mentioned above are being compared and linked to recent scientific findings concerning the role of movement and sensorial stimuli for the efficacy of education and therapy. This article compares the four approaches based on scientific research on the various methods as well as independent research which looks and the impact of movement and sensorial stimuli as well as a method of application and its effectiveness. It has been found that sensorial stimulation and movement are closely connected and that these play a major role in all four approaches although the methods of application are quite different. One example might be that the Montessori method purposefully teaches specific movements in specific ways while only Sensory integration therapy also utilizes passive movement as a sensorial stimulation. All four approaches rely on the self-motivation of the child and do not apply any kind of pressure.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how joint attention and sensory-regulatory features are related in early childhood and predict language and social-communication outcomes in preschool in order to build mechanistic theories that can inform early intervention directed at improving these outcomes. Method: Cross-lagged panel analysis models were used to examine the association between joint attention and sensory-regulatory features at 13 and 22 months of age in children (n = 87) who were identified via community screening at 12 months as having a higher likelihood than the general population for being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Results: Significant concurrent correlations and predictive correlations were found between these constructs at 13 and 22 months. Joint attention skills at 13 months predicted both joint attention and sensory-regulatory features at 22 months. Distal language and social-communication outcomes at preschool age (n = 48) were best predicted by sensory-regulatory features at 22 months. Conclusions: Both joint attention and sensory regulation are important factors in the first and second years of life for impacting later preschool language and social-communication outcomes in this sample. These findings may have implications for future early childhood intervention research for children at a higher likelihood for autism spectrum disorder.

Purpose: Listening-related fatigue is a potential negative consequence of challenges experienced during everyday listening and may disproportionately affect older adults. Contrary to expectation, we recently found that increased reports of listening-related fatigue were associated with better performance on a dichotic listening task. However, this link was found only in individuals who reported heightened sensitivity to a variety of physical, social, and emotional stimuli (i.e., increased "sensory-processing sensitivity" [SPS]). This study examined whether perceived effort may underlie the link between performance and fatigue. Method: Two hundred six young adults, aged 18-30 years (Experiment 1), and 122 older adults, aged 60-80 years (Experiment 2), performed a dichotic listening task and were administered a series of questionnaires including the NASA Task Load Index of perceived effort, the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (measuring daily life listening-related fatigue), and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (measuring SPS). Both experiments were completed online. Results: SPS predicted listening-related fatigue, but perceived effort during the listening task was not associated with SPS or listening-related fatigue in either age group. We were also unable to replicate the interaction between dichotic listening performance and SPS in either group. Exploratory analyses revealed contrasting effects of age; older adults found the dichotic listening task more effortful but indicated lower overall fatigue. Conclusions: These findings suggest that SPS is a better predictor of listening-related fatigue than performance or effort ratings on a dichotic listening task. SPS may be an important factor in determining an individual's likelihood of experiencing listening-related fatigue irrespective of hearing or cognitive ability.

Sensory features are part of the diagnostic criteria for autism and include sensory hypo/hyper reactivity and unusual sensory interest; however, additional sensory differences, namely differences in sensory integration, have not been routinely explored. This study characterized sensory integration differences in a cohort of children (n = 93) with a confirmed diagnosis of autism (5-9 years) using a standardized, norm-referenced battery. Mean z scores, autism diagnostic scores, and IQ are reported. Participants showed substantial deficits in tactile perception, praxis, balance, visual perception, and visual-motor skills. Relationship with autism diagnostic test scores were weak or absent. Findings suggest additional sensory difficulties that are not typically assessed or considered when characterizing sensory features in autism. These data have implications for a greater understanding of the sensory features in the autism phenotype and the development of personalized treatments.

This article offers music educators ideas for supporting English learners in music classrooms. Music teachers across all grade levels work with English Learners, a diverse group of students with varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In the classroom, planning specific instructional supports can increase English Learners' participation and achievement in music. This article encourages educators to approach English learners from an assets-based perspective, creating a welcoming classroom environment that positively benefits students. With the goal of providing access to music education for all students, music teachers can become advocates for English learners in their classrooms and schools.

Rich play enhances the child's engagement during play, and this improves the potential for learning. This study examines the place of sensory materials focused on visual and tactile stimuli (sensopathic material) during guided play to improve learning in the reception year. Interviews with teachers and observation of the children while playing with sensopathic material were used to generate qualitative data at five schools that applied different play pedagogies. It was found that using sensopathic materials during play enriched young children's play experience and increased their engagement. The critical role of teachers in the play process and the management of play was explored with the focus on facilitating learning both inside and outside the classroom using readily available sensopathic materials. This article creates awareness of the value of using sensopathic materials and illustrates how careful planning can enhance young children's engagement during play and create learning opportunities in a playful manner.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the effect of sensorimotor interventions (SI) on feeding readiness and oral feeding success in preterm infants. Method: A parallel, prospective, and randomized controlled study. The study data were collected between 1 June 2020-1 June 2021 and study sample comprised 60 preterm infants with a gestational age of 30-33 weeks. A combined sensorimotor intervention, including Tactile/Kinesthetic Stimulation + Non-nutritive sucking (NNS), was applied to the intervention group. The Control group applied only a SI as NNS. Results: T-POFRAS feeding readiness scores were higher in the intervention group (p = 0.000). The feeding success level of the intervention was higher. Although hospital discharge time and transition to full breastfeeding of the intervention group were shorter, it was not statistically significant (p = 0.078). Conclusion: It was found that combined SIs were effective in enhancing oral feeding readiness and feeding success levels in preterm infants.

Driving at an inappropriate speed is a major accident cause in the EU. Understanding the underlying sensory mechanisms can help to reduce speed and increase traffic safety. The present study investigated the effect of visuospatial stimuli on speed perception using an adaptive countermeasure to speeding based on a manipulation of optic flow. We added red lights on both sides of a simulated road. We expected speed to be perceived as faster when lights moved toward drivers due to increased optic flow, whereas we expected static light stimuli to not alter the optic flow and thus not influence speed perception. Two experiments applied the method of constant stimuli. To this end, participants encountered several trials of two video sequences on a straight road. A reference sequence showed the same traveling speed while test sequences varied around different traveling speeds. Participants indicated which sequence they perceived as faster, leading to the calculation of the point of subjective equality (PSE). A lower PSE indicates that the speed in this experimental condition is perceived as faster than in another experimental condition. Experiment 1A did not show a difference between PSEs of static and oncoming lights. Because participants had counted reflector posts for speed estimation, we removed these reflector posts in Experiment 1B and found a lower PSE for oncoming lights. Thus, such light stimuli may have an effect only in situations without other competing visual stimuli supporting speed perception. Future research should investigate whether speed perception is indeed a primarily visuospatial control task or whether other sensory information such as auditory factors can have an influence as well.

This study aims to investigate the connection between the degree of visual impairment and educational task performance and management in the e-learning environment with an emphasis on writing and visual recognition disorders. The study was conducted in 2019 in Beijing city, Anhui province, Jiangsu province, Guizhou province, Zhejiang province (China) among 125 students of online English courses. The age of participants corresponded to the sixth grade (9.0 ± 2.5 years). The e-learning course included three 10-lessons blocks, after which students underwent individual online training with the integrated application of the Gottschaldt's, Poppelreuter-Ghent's, and Raven's tests. The level of visual impairment inversely depends on the tasks' accomplishment - the more severe the vision loss, the worse the learning outcomes. Pearson's correlation coefficients between the educational performance and mild visual impairment were 0.79 (Gottschaldt's Hidden Figure test), 0.81 (Raven's Progressive Matrices test), and 0.83 (Poppelreuter-Ghent's Overlapping Figures test).

Theories of embodied cognition describe language acquisition and representation as dependent on sensorimotor experiences that are collected during learning. Whereas native language words are typically acquired through sensorimotor experiences, foreign language (L2) words are often learned by reading, listening or repeating bilingual word lists. Recently, grasping referent objects has been demonstrated to serve as a useful sensorimotor strategy for L2 vocabulary learning. The effects of grasping virtual objects, however, remain unknown. In a virtual reality cave, we trained adult participants (N = 46) having low language aptitude and high language aptitude on novel L2 words under three conditions. In an audiovisual (baseline) condition, participants were presented with written and spoken L2 words. In an audiovisual observation condition, participants additionally saw virtual visual objects that corresponded to the meanings of L2 words. In an audiovisual, an observation, and a grasping condition, participants were asked to grasp the virtual objects. Participants' word learning was assessed in free and cued recall tests administered immediately after training. Relative to baseline learning, simply viewing virtual objects during learning benefitted both groups. As expected, grasping virtual objects was found to benefit vocabulary retention in low language aptitude learners. Interestingly, this benefit was not observed in high language aptitude learners. Language learning aptitude scores correlated with vocabulary learning outcomes in both audiovisual learning conditions, but not in the sensorimotor condition, suggesting that grasping altered the typical relationship between aptitude and language learning performance. The findings are interpreted in terms of differences in the extent to which procedural and declarative memory systems are accessed in low language aptitude and high language aptitude learners during sensorimotor-based vocabulary learning. Additionally, the results suggest that simulated interactions without tangible feedback can benefit learning. This outcome expands our understanding of how physical experience extends cognition and paves the way for the application of sensorimotor enrichment strategies to virtual environments.

Educational technologies develop quickly. Which functions of face-to-face education can be substituted by technology for distance learning? One of the risks of online education is the lack of embodied interactions. We investigate what embodied interactive technologies might offer for teaching trigonometry when learning at a distance. In a multiple case study, we analyze the potential of embodied action-based design for fostering conceptual understanding of a sine graph. It appears that independent learning with tablet-based activities leads to acquiring new sensory-motor coordinations. Some students include these new embodied experiences into mathematical discourse and trigonometry problem solving themselves, while others still need some support from a teacher. However, distantly acquired embodied experiences can be easily recalled in a few days after learning and serve well as a substrate for further conceptualization and problem-solving. The results speak for a clear contribution that embodied design might provide for grounding conceptual understanding in distance learning. However, we expect embodied design to be particularly helpful in a blended learning format.

Children with atypical sensory integration have difficulty responding to the processing and/or organization of sensory information, this disability affects functional participation in routines and activities of daily living. Participation is defined as involvement in life situations, it is essential to promote life experiences and the development of sensorimotor, cognitive, and social skills. Improving these skills, in turn, allows children to fully participate in age-appropriate activities and occupations. This study aimed to investigate the putative association between sensory processing and occupational participation in children with neurotypical development. Parents or caregivers of 186 children, aged between 6 and 10 years old, completed the Sensory Profile Caregiver Questionnaires (SPCQ) and the Participation in Childhood Occupations Questionnaire (PICO-Q). Surprisingly, 80 children (43%) presented atypical sensory integration. This sub-group presented several associations between the SPCQ and the areas evaluated by PICO-Q, suggesting an association between sensory processing and occupational participation. We suggest that it is important to carry out screenings for sensory integration in preschool children, to promote better occupational participation in school-aged children.

This study examined the content validity and preliminary structural validity of the Sensory Integration Infant Routines Questionnaire (SIIRQ), a tool designed to screen for behaviors reflecting possible sensory integration concerns in children aged between 8 and 24 months. This study included two main phases. In phase 1, we examined content validity through cognitive interviews with experts and caregivers. In phase 2, we explored preliminary structural validity through item discrimination, analyzing the dispersion of responses within the 4-point Likert scale. Preliminary internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha was also explored. Experts demonstrated a high degree of agreement, and their input was useful in establishing items to help identify sensory integration vulnerabilities within daily routines. Caregivers unanimously reported that the instrument and the instructions were easy-to-understand. The questionnaire item responses demonstrated good dispersion and appear to capture behaviors that are consistent with sensory integration concerns in daily routines. The homogeneity of the items within each dimension (Cronbach's alpha) ranged from 0.60 to 0.87. The final version of the questionnaire includes 102 items aimed at detecting sensory integration vulnerabilities within the child's daily routines, in accordance with currently accepted models of early intervention.

Educators have seen an increase in school-based programs focusing on students' social and emotional well-being. Research indicates that students who participate in such programs improve academically compared to their peers. This article focuses on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs that was designed with a dual focus on artistic and social-emotional competencies. These competencies including sensory-motor integration resources, insight, regulation, collaboration, connection, critical-thinking, and mindset. The author discusses an artistic focus on art education utilizing the SEL Toolkit which provides further information on pertinent research, implementation of SEL programs, best practices for educators, and Social-Emotional Learning Competencies.

Visual motor integration (VMI) is considered a key predictor of adaptive functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, information regarding the VMI characteristics of children with ASD is scarce because existing assessment methods have focused on outcome measures while neglecting process measures due to the high failure rates in children with ASD. Therefore, the current pilot study was conducted to explore the appropriate indicators for the construction of a comprehensive VMI evaluation. First, five computer games were designed to provide enjoyable and appropriate tasks for use in VMI assessment while ensuring a high completion rate among the participants. Then, 30 children with ASD and 30 age-matched typically developing (TD) children between 4 and 6 years old were recruited to play the games. In this process, several quantitative indicators were applied to infer the children's visual perception, eye-hand coordination, and fine motor skills. Finally, the validity of the proposed method was verified using three classic machine-learning algorithms. The results revealed that the proposed method is effective in providing a comprehensive description of VMI deficits and can thus ultimately provide an objective basis for targeted interventions.

Predictive coding theories suggest that core symptoms in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may stem from atypical mechanisms of perceptual inference (i.e., inferring the hidden causes of sensations). Specifically, there would be an imbalance in the precision or weight ascribed to sensory inputs relative to prior expectations. Using three tactile behavioral tasks and computational modeling, we specifically targeted the implicit dynamics of sensory adaptation and perceptual learning in ASD. Participants were neurotypical and autistic adults without intellectual disability. In Experiment I, tactile detection thresholds and adaptation effects were measured to assess sensory precision. Experiments II and III relied on two-alternative forced choice tasks designed to elicit a time-order effect, where prior knowledge biases perceptual decisions. Our results suggest a subtler explanation than a simple imbalance in the prior/sensory weights, having to do with the dynamic nature of perception, that is the adjustment of precision weights to context. Compared to neurotypicals, autistic adults showed no difference in average performance and sensory sensitivity. Both groups managed to implicitly learn and adjust a prior that biased their perception. However, depending on the context, autistic participants showed no, normal or slower adaptation, a phenomenon that computational modeling of trial-to-trial responses helped us to associate with a higher expectation for sameness in ASD, and to dissociate from another observed robust difference in terms of response bias. These results point to atypical perceptual learning rather than altered perceptual inference per se, calling for further empirical and computational studies to refine the current predictive coding theories of ASD.