#43: OT Supports for Sensory Processing Differences: A Conversation on the Evidence with Bryden Giving (CE Course)

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Learn more about our guest: Bryden Giving, MAOT, OTR/L

Read the article and discussion upon which this podcast is based.

Released October 30, 2022.

The use of sensory-based interventions (SBIs) and environmental modification are common OT treatments.

But, what is the evidence behind these treatments?

In this episode, we’ll look at an influential systematic review that explores that question. The authors lay out the evidence behind specific sensory techniques and environmental modifications for children with sensory integration (SI) differences.

The authors explore and rate the levels of evidence of common treatments, like massage, weighted vests, sensory enrichment in preschools, and linear swinging.

After we review the article, we’ll welcome to the podcast our guest, Bryden Giving, MAOT, OTR/L to talk about how the research has impacted his work in pediatrics, his doctoral studies, and most importantly, and what it all means for your OT practice.

Primary Journal Article Explored

When you log in, be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article. Then, share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

Bodison, S. C., &; Parham, L. D. (2018). Specific sensory techniques and sensory environmental modifications for children and youth with Sensory Integration Difficulties: A systematic review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1).

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

Pfeiffer, B., Clark, G. F., &; Arbesman, M. (2017). Effectiveness of cognitive and occupation-based interventions for children with challenges in sensory processing and Integration: A Systematic Review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1).

Novak, I., & Honan, I. (2019). Effectiveness of paediatric occupational therapy for children with disabilities: A systematic review. Australian occupational therapy journal, 66(3), 258–273.

Learning Objectives

  • You will be able to identify the levels of evidence behind common sensory techniques.
  • You will be able to recognize evidence-based approaches to supporting individuals with sensory difficulties.

Additional Reading/Resources on Supporting Sensory Differences

Information on treatment with higher levels of evidence:

Trainings and Instructional materials:

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (5 minutes)

  • An intro to SI Difficulties
  • OT and SI Difficulties
  • What was the intent of this study?
  • What methods were used in this research?
  • What were the results?
  • Discussion
  • Editorial note on Qigong Massage
  • Takeaways for OT practitioners

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with Bryden Giving) (50 minutes)

  • Tell us about discovering as an adult that you are neurodivergent.
  • What does your OTD work currently entail?
  • What were your initial reactions to this article?
  • Do you think it is a myth that “We don’t have evidence for what we do” and should accept the low level of evidence?
  • If our practice is currently heavily focused on sensory techniques, what do you feel like this article nudges us to do?
  • What are alternative treatment pathways we could consider?
  • How can we involve parents and children in determining the correct treatment course for them?
  • For many OTs our professional identity is in being the “sensory” professional, what is helpful about our sensory lens? And, how does this identity need to shift moving forward?

Contact Hours

1 hour (0.1 AOTA CEUs). Released online from Aurora, NE.

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about OT Sensory Techniques and Environmental Modifications for Children. The educational level is introductory.

Instructional Methods/Registration/Special Needs Requests/Cancellation Policy

This course is an independent/self-study course delivered via podcast on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play. Explore your listening options on the OT Potential Podcast page.

If you need accommodations to take this course, please contact us and we will address your needs on an individual basis.

If this course were to be canceled, please see our cancellation policy on our terms page.

Course Completion Requirements

In order to receive a certificate for this course, you must first listen to the podcast in its entirety. Then, you will need to take the test (found at the top of this page) and earn 75% or higher. If you pass, a certificate will be automatically generated and sent to your email.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic. Our guest, Bryden Giving also has no financial disclosures.

Speakers

Bryden Giving, MAOT, OTR/L

Bryden Giving, MAOT, OTR/L
Bryden Giving is a doctoral student at Boston University and licensed occupational therapy practitioner with experience in evidence-based interventions, therapeutic treatments, and contextual supports for neurodivergent pediatric patients.

His work emphasizes a forgotten aspect regarding evidence-based practice: the client’s values, including how well the intervention honors neurodivergent identity. His doctoral project’s main objective is to promote the delivery of best practices for autistic children and youth, emphasizing those that are both research-informed and honor autistic identity.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L:

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L headshot

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011. Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital.

Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

Ep43-AOTA-Badge

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Please share any other feedback below! Including, ideas for future programming, and most importantly, how you feel this podcast will impact your practice!

3 Likes
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I love the focus on sensory differences vs sensory deficits…such a different lens! Client-Centered challenges the OT practitioner to keep the client at the center of the treatment with interventions and approaches. Strength-based, coaching model, and even Growth mindset approaches are evidence-based approaches to create a larger lens.
For more on the Strength-based approach, check out Dr. Kristin Patton, AOTA 2022 Slagel Lecture.

AJOT interview with author: Dr. Kristen Patton

5 Likes
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I literally have had this video this pulled up to watch! I can’t wait for this lecture to get published in AJOT!

Dr. Patton was my professor and I really want to have her on the podcast!!!

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6

LOVED the focus on strengths and unique skills of the child and the overall person-centeredness of this podcast. Enhancing quality of life and meeting people where they are at is the core beauty of our profession. I do not work in pediatrics (I work in end of life care where this person centeredness is also key) yet this podcast informed my parenting approach - and was affirming to me as I talk to other parents and help them SEE and LOVE their child in a holistic way. Changing the environment and the task is so powerful - making “body-function” changes to the person sitting in front of you can be hurtful (agree with Bryden!) and we must always be cognizant of that fact. Positive support of differences! Empowering podcast. Thanks!
Ann

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I really appreciate the neurodiversity affirming push in the therapeutic community. The language of sensory processing differences as opposed to difficulties makes a lot of sense when thinking about the students that I work with.

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This has been the most helpful podcast. Very informative and interesting

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Oh yay! I’m so glad to hear you liked this one so much, @bonnie!!

1 Like
10

I work in community OT with persons with neurological disorders. I would love to hear more evidence on my observations that sensory challenges and brain flooding are related, in particular with TBI or stroke. I’ve had a lot of success exploring sensory needs in these populations.

Also, I absolutely love your doctoral project. Fundamental to health literacy concepts include that practitioners avoid a paternalistic approach and value the patient as equal in the equation and the expert in themselves.

3 Likes
11

I think the language we use and how we respond to others is very important. To change the language from difficulties to differences is something that I will use moving forward and will encourage my co-workers to do the same. Involving parents in the treatment plan is so important for them to not only understand what is occurring but teaching strategies that may assist their child. More importantly obtaining direct information from the child in what is working for him/her. Not fitting him/her into the typical techniques.

I appreciate hearing sensory trial and error is ok, that I do not have to be the expert. The child is the expert. I mostly focus on DME and adaptive equipment in my work role and that is often trial and error. I think this gives me some grace and a new way to learn more. Thank you

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I was very surprised, maybe anxious is a better word, to hear them say that listening therapies lack evidence. I become certified in Integrated Listening Systems (iLs) in 2015 and saw more progress in one month with most of my clients than I would in a year or more, if ever. Later that year I had my son and became disabled myself so I wasn’t able to utilize it with more people. Fast forward to the end of last year when I was finally getting to a place to try and start taking on clients again (I own my own private practice). I found out that iLs had merged with another company Unyte. They focus on the Polyvagal Theory and I became certified in their Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP). I was under the impression that there was good evidence for these programs, especially with the outcomes I saw with the iLs. Can anyone expand on this for me, or point me towards the research/resources?

What I loved most about this course is how our profession finally seems to be on board with Neurodiverse affirming language and attitudes. I helped an autistic woman to be able to drive and I remember telling her about the book Loud Hands, published by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, because I was so impressed by it and especially about moving towards referring to autistic people, as opposed to the “person-first” language that was forced down our throats in school. I’ll never forget how she was like, “Yeah, I’m one of the contributors”. Next session I had her sign my copy!!

Thank you for this course, it was great!!

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I enjoyed hearing the research and discussion. I am always looking for research based practices - having worked with pediatrics for a long time in early intervention, private practice, pediatric clinics, and school setting with particular areas of interests in sensory integration and motor control and planning.

As a previous person had commented, I am glad that neuro-diverse language and understanding is catching up and reframing our actual experiences and practices.

Relating specifically to sensory processing - my experiences have taught me that we are all just sensory beings existing in our many aspects of life (home, school, community, etc) - confirm that there is no real norm.
Most importantly - our children and families just want to access important activities, relationships, and environments in their lives. That said - consideration and expertise in all aspects of OT treatment is a necessity - including theory to direct treatment practices to environmental and activity accommodations to parent and child empowerment and education. There is usually not one answer or “fix” - it’s always a dance between them all- which I think is what makes our work so rewarding and complex.

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Sooo LOVED this… yay Bryden for identifying your neurodivergent voice and empowering OTs to support our clients, (and ourselves), in their journey toward their own!
This podcast gave me the much-needed Summer “Vaccine” to return to my school-based practice with “language” that is affirming for both my Kiddos and myself !
I also believe Sensory Differences can be Superpowers and strive to share my “transitional intervention lenses” with as many folks as possible!

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Hi Jessi, I am also SSP Certified Provider since 2019 and have utilized this modality with both the EI population as well as the adult population. I have all my adult clients complete a questionnaire pre and post which allows them to rate on 0-5 scale the areas they have noted improvement, and at no time have clients not reported measurable improvement. On a subjective note, my adult clients have all been very affirming of their satisfaction with the program and the positive changes after utilizing this program. Upon completion, clients have shared how it has assisted them to achieve goals, increase their level of participation and improved their quality of life across a wide variety of tasks and activities (e.g., dining out, trimming their nails, work meetings, etc.). I have also found this to be an extremely helpful for clients who are seeking assistance with challenges with interoception (e.g., irregular bowel movements, stomach pain, nausea, etc.). I would love more information on the research in this area.

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This website is very difficult to navigate

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@iris Thank you for taking the time to voice this! If you have a couple more minutes, I’d love to hear what parts you would like to see changed!

We are working on our designs for an updated experience- so your feedback is very timely!