Introduction
The Review of the Literature Section of the Article
The authors identify the need for additional research on the relationship between sensory processing disorder (SPD) and attachment difficulties in children by placing their study within the existing literature context, thus justifying why further investigation is needed.
The review provides an overview of presently existing knowledge on the topic, giving the context for new research.
The research problem
A growing body of evidence links SPD to attachment difficulties and risk factors, such as environmental deprivation. The research established that sensory processing is interconnected to institutionalization length (Whitcomb et al., 2015). Although these findings support the correlation between sensory processing problems and environmental deprivation, the influence of the relation between the child and the caregiver was not addressed, making the association between SPD and attachment difficulties unclear.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which sensory modulation is related to attachment in kids between three and six years.
Research Question
Do the sensory modulation and attachment difficulties of younger children correlate?
Research Hypothesis
There is a correlation between SSP-Tot (evaluates sensory modulation) and AQS (to measure attachment) scores.
Methods/Methodology
The methodology used in the study
Participants for the study were recruited through convenience sampling in schools, childcare centers, places of worship, and recreational facilities in Cincinnati. The data was collected through observations and demographic surveys (Whitcomb et al., 2015). The authors used Attachment Q-Set (AQS) to assess attachment, and sensory modulation was measured using the Short Sensory Profile. In addition, the interrater reliability was evaluated using Pearson product-moment correlations. Data analysis was done using SAS, while the AQS interrater reliability was assessed using Excel.
The research design used in this study
This study used a non-experimental design and correlation and regression analyses to address the research questions. The approach is correlational, describing the interrelation between two variables, attachment and sensory modulation, without researcher interference.
Results/Findings
The results of the data analysis
The results of the research were presented using tables and descriptive paragraphs. Table 1 shows descriptive statistics of the association between age and AQS. On the other hand, table 2 contains simple linear regression data that predicts AQS scores from SSP and SSP-Tot values (Whitcomb et al., 2015). The first paragraph of the results section indicates that attachment (evaluated using AQS) and sensory modulation (measured using SSP) are related. The second paragraph illustrates a small but significant capacity for attachment security to predict sensory modulation.
Conclusions/Discussion
The author’s interpretation of the data
The results suggest that kids who are insecurely involved with their primary caregivers are likely to struggle to interpret and respond to environmental sensory stimulation correctly. According to the researchers, a child with lower AQS scores than other children is likely to have lower SSP-Tot scores (Whitcomb et al., 2015). Additionally, the findings indicate that young ones who initially display atypical reactions to sensory data tend to have difficulties developing healthy attachments to their principal caregivers. Furthermore, the authors suggest that the significant interrelation between sensory modulation and attachment, as investigated using SSP and AQS, is not a consequence of error. The reason for this is that the correlation’s strength is modest, supporting the perspective of distinct constructs of sensory modulation and attachment (Whitcomb et al., 2015). Lastly, the current study includes sixty-eight children, a larger sample size, providing more generalizable findings than previous research.
The stated limitations of the study
The sample included in the study was homogenous, making the AQS score ranges smaller than expected. Having a diverse sample would result in broader score ranges, leading to more solid evidence of a correlation. Further, the researchers did not have frequent or prolonged encounters with children and caregivers (Whitcomb et al., 2015). Regular and lengthier meetings would result in a broader data range, thus observing a more extensive set of behaviors. Another limiting factor for the research was the available assessment tools. For example, AQS is unstandardized, not norm-referenced, and does not offer child classifications according to scoring. Although SSP is norm-referenced and standardized, it is a caregiver inventory and not performance-based. Therefore, the responses provided by SSP can be altered due to emotional reactions, the nature of the relationship, and recent experiences. Therefore, there was no mechanism to control caregiver bias due to a lack of better assessment tools.
The suggestions for further research
The authors suggest further research to support this investigation’s findings and evaluate prevention and intervention implications.
Reference
Whitcomb, D. A., Carrasco, R. C., Neuman, A., & Kloos, H. (2015). Correlational research to examine the relation between attachment and sensory modulation in young children. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(4), 6904220020p1-6904220020p8. Web.