The Effect of Sensory Diet on the Impulsivity of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Shila  Shabdini; Mohammad Parsa Azizi; Javid Peymani

doi:10.18502/jmr.v16i4.10764

Shila Shabdini Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Parsa Azizi Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Javid Peymani Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jmr.v16i4.10764

Keywords: Sensory diet, Impulsivity; Sensory processing; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

Introduction: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a family-centered sensory diet program on the impulsivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Materials and Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population included all children with ADHD aged 6-12 years in Tehran, Iran referred to the clinics of Hasti, Bahar, and Masir-e Sabz in 2020. Of these, 30 children were selected using a convenience sampling method and randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. The intervention group underwent 12 sessions of a family-centered sensory diet program, 3 days a week, each for 45 minutes based on the Wilbarger protocol. The used tools were the Wechsler intelligence scale for children-Fourth Edition to test intellectual ability and the Conners’ parent rating scale to diagnose ADHD in children. Independent t test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used in SPSS software v. 20 for data analysis.

Results: In this study, the mean age of participants was 9.56±4.38 years, including 11 girls (36.6%) and 19 boys (63.3%), and the mean age of mothers of these children was 34.23±6.9. The mean impulsivity scores of children in the intervention group decreased and the results of the ANCOVA showed a statistically significant difference in the mean posttest scores between the two groups (P=0.001).

Conclusion: The family-centered sensory diet program has a positive effect on the impulsivity of children with ADHD. It is recommended that therapists use the sensory diet program as a complementary therapy along with other therapeutic interventions.