Efficacy of the Wilbarger Therapressure Program™ to Modulate Arousal in Women with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study Using Salivary Cortisol and Behavioral Measures

This pilot study assesses the efficacy of using the Wilbarger Therapressure Program? to modulate the arousal and influence the sensory symptoms seen in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. Salivary cortisol and behavioral measures were used in this single subject design study of four women with post-traumatic stress disorder. Significant positive changes were seen in three of the four the women. The exception was one woman whose post-traumatic stress disorder resulted from blast injuries.     

中文版父母报告高敏感儿童量表的修订

本研究修订编制适合测量学前儿童的中文版父母报告高敏感儿童量表,并在学前儿童家长群体中进行信效度检验。通过文献分析,建构了学前儿童高感觉加工敏感性的结构模型,在参考国外量表题目的基础上,编制了初始量表。按照量表编制流程先后对1633名3～6岁学前儿童家长进行问卷测试,通过项目分析、探索性与验证性因素分析对初始量表进行题目删减与维度确定,最终形成了包括易刺激性、审美敏感性和低感觉阈限三个维度的中文版父母报告高敏感儿童量表。进一步分析表明,中文版父母报告高敏感儿童量表信效度符合统计学要求,能够作为测量我国学前儿童感觉加工敏感性的有效工具。     

A FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF HAIR PULLING

We experimentally assessed the functions of hair pulling and hair manipulation of a 19-year-old woman (Kris) with moderate mental retardation and cerebral palsy. In Phase 1 a functional analysis revealed that Kris pulled and manipulated hair for the greatest amount of time in the alone condition, suggesting that the behaviors were maintained by some form of automatic reinforcement (Vaughan & Michael, 1982). In Phase 2 we assessed the nature of the sensory stimulation that maintained hair pulling by providing continuous access to previously pulled or cut hair and, thereafter, by having Kris wear a rubber glove. The results suggested that hair pulling was maintained by digital-tactile stimulation (automatic positive reinforcement). These findings are discussed, and recommendations for further analyses of automatically reinforced habit behaviors are provided.     

First‐hand sensory experience plays a limited role in children's early understanding of seeing and hearing as sources of knowledge: Evidence from typically hearing and deaf children

One early‐developing component of theory of mind is an understanding of the link between sensory perception and knowledge formation. We know little about the extent to which children's first‐hand sensory experiences drive the development of this understanding, as most tasks capturing this early understanding target vision, with less attention paid to the other senses. In this study, 64 typically hearing children (M_age = 4.0 years) and 21 orally educated deaf children (M_age = 5.44 years) were asked to identify which of two informants knew the identity of a toy animal when each had differing perceptual access to the animal. In the ‘seeing’ condition, one informant saw the animal and the other did not; in the ‘hearing’ condition, one informant heard the animal and the other did not. For both hearing and deaf children, there was no difference between performance on hearing and seeing trials, but deaf children were delayed in both conditions. Further, within both the hearing and deaf groups, older children outperformed younger children on these tasks, indicating that there is a developmental progression. Taken together, the pattern of results suggests that experiences other than first‐hand sensory experiences drive children's developing understanding that sensory perception is associated with knowledge.     

Functional analysis and treatment of hair twirling in a young child.

A young child participated in a functional analysis and treatment of hair twirling, a frequently occurring precursor to hair pulling. The functional analysis showed that hair twirling occurred mostly when the child was alone at bedtime. Noncontingent application of mittens decreased hair twirling to near‐zero levels in two settings (home and day care).     

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AS TREATMENT FOR STEREOTYPIC HAND MOUTHING: SENSORY EXTINCTION OR PUNISHMENT EFFECTS?

We examined the effects of noncontingent and contingent protective equipment as treatment for self-injurious hand mouthing exhibited by 2 individuals with profound mental retardation. Results of a functional analysis assessment revealed that neither subject's self-injury was maintained by social reinforcement: One subject's self-injury was cyclical in nature; the other's occurred during all assessment conditions but most frequently when left alone. In the noncontingent-equipment condition, oven mitts were placed on the individual's hands at the beginning of a session and remained on throughout. In the contingent-equipment condition, the mitts were briefly placed on the individual's hands following occurrences of hand mouthing. For 1 subject, noncontingent mitts produced a large decrease in the rate of hand mouthing and contingent mitts produced similar results following a return to baseline. Hand mouthing was also reduced in the 2nd subject, but this individual was exposed only to the contingent-equipment condition (i.e., there was no prior history with the noncontingent-equipment condition). These results suggest either a punishment or a time-out interpretation rather than an extinction interpretation to account for the behavior-reducing effects of contingent protective equipment on self-injury.     

The Sensory Profile of People With Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

Thirty participants with post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and 30 healthy controls completed the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale (PSS-SR) and the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). Participants with PTS symptoms vacillated between sensory sensitivity, sensation avoiding, and low registration. Sensation avoiding and low registration correlated with intrusive thoughts related to PTS. Discriminant Analysis classified 73% of the study group and 80% of the controls. PTS may be related to hypersensitivity and low registration. Further studies about the sensory profile of people with PTS symptoms may contribute to research and optimize evaluation and intervention for people with PTSD.     

Occupational Preferences of People Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault

This study explored how individuals who have experienced sexual assault engage in occupations that require touch. Fifty-seven participants who reported a history of sexual assault and 347 participants who did not report such a history responded to a pilot instrument which was created to analyze college students’ engagement in occupations. Results were categorized into indices to isolate different types of touch. Results suggest that there is a statistically significant difference in the way these two groups go about their daily routines of engaging in occupations, particularly those that involve passive, unexpected, social, and light touch.