Date of Award

Fall 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Sydney Brown

Abstract

Sensory processing difficulties are traditionally associated with children with autism; however, typically developing children are increasingly demonstrating symptoms of SPD. Research has shown that targeted sensory development, based on Ayres Sensory Integration Theory, demonstrates positive results for children with autism. This study sought to determine if comparable results can be shown with typically developing students to address the increase in SPD concerns in the classroom. Based on a literature review and targeted research on Ayres Sensory Integration Theory, an intervention consisting of nine sense-targeted exercises was implemented with 100 kindergarteners over 6 weeks. Results were examined with a mixed methods sequential design. Student reading progress and time off-task were assessed quantitatively at three periods to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Individual interviews were conducted with each of the four classroom teachers implementing the intervention to understand their intervention perspectives. Quantitative data analysis did not show a significant impact on academics or off-task behaviors. Examination of the fidelity of implementation identified a lack of consistent intervention implementations. Interviews with teachers highlighted aspects of the research design that impacted their ability to implement with fidelity. The study's results do not support the hypothesis that targeted interventions will improve academic achievement or off-task behaviors. The lack of fidelity in implementation prevents a null hypothesis conclusion. On this basis, support for consistent intervention is recommended in future designs.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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