Valuing relationships: The impact of a sensory program on the interactions of adolescents with severe-to-profound intellectual disabilities

Abstract

Background: People with severe-to-profound intellectual disabilities often lack meaningful interactions with others. Communication partners need to be skilled in identifying and responding to often-subtle behaviours. One method of facilitating interaction is the use of sensory-based stimuli. Method: This study measured the impact of sensory-based stimuli paired with behaviour chain interruptions for three participants in an alternating treatment design using a novel intervention, SensEngage. Measurements included behaviours previously identified as indicating person engagement, self-engagement, happiness as well as participants’ use of potential communicative acts (PCAs). Results: The results showed increased person engagement and happiness in the SensEngage condition compared to the non-sensory condition for all three participants. An increased use of PCAs and decrease in self-engagement were observed for two participants. Conclusions: SensEngage appears to positively impact person engagement, happiness, PCAs and self-engagement for people with severe-to-profound intellectual disabilities.