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Matson R, Barnes-Brown V, Stonall R. The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Sensory Processing and Connected Motor Planning and Skills: A Scoping Review. JOURNAL OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT TRAUMA 2024; 17:447-456. [PMID: 38938947 PMCID: PMC11199431 DOI: 10.1007/s40653-023-00598-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Background Traumatic experiences during childhood have been suggested to alter the course of sensory and motor development due to the impact on neural connections within the brain at integral periods. This connection has been alluded to in literature and is discussed anecdotally by practitioners suggesting the impact is commonly seen in practice. Previous scoping reviews in this area have focused solely on the process of sensory modulation without exploring the connection to motor planning. Objective This scoping review considers what is known from the existing literature about the impact of childhood trauma on sensory processing and motor skills. Method This scoping review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews (Peters et al., 2020), searching CINAHL plus, Proquest, Scopus, PsycINFO, EThOS, as well as a search of the reference lists of the articles and citation chaining, to locate both published and unpublished sources. Articles were reviewed by two reviewers independently, with a third reviewer verifying those that met inclusion criteria where there was disagreement. Results Six articles were identified that met the inclusion criteria for the study. While all included studies suggested the concurrence of sensory processing and motor difficulties in individuals who have experienced childhood trauma they did not conclusively make the link between the two suggesting an overall low level of evidence. Commonalities were identified in relation to the areas of the brain impacted and the nature of difficulties experienced with some suggestion of this varying according to stage of development and the specific nature of the trauma. Conclusions This study suggests emerging evidence in relation to the connection between trauma, sensory processing and motor development but that further empirical research is needed to verify this and inform practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Matson
- School of Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England
| | | | - Rachel Stonall
- School of Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England
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Ide-Okochi A, He M, Tokieda T, Nakamura S, Matsunaga N. Assessment of Sensory Processing Issues in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Experiences of Maltreatment. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:216. [PMID: 38397328 PMCID: PMC10887822 DOI: 10.3390/children11020216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
This study aims to identify the sensory characteristics of children with both developmental disabilities such as ASD and ADHD and a history of child maltreatment (DM group), children with developmental disabilities (DD group), and typically developed children (TD group). The sensory characteristics of 24 children were assessed through virtual reality and self-administered questionnaires. The results elucidated that the duration of gazing at the "teacher" (60-75 s) was significantly different with the DM group's gaze being shorter than the DD group's gaze (p = 0.042). The duration of the "others" gaze (45-60 s) was also significantly different with the DM group's gaze being longer than the DD and TD groups' gaze (p = 0.018; p = 0.030). Additionally, the scores for tactile sensitivity, taste/smell sensitivity, under-responsive/seeks sensation, and the total short-term sensory profile were significantly different between the DM-DD and DD-TD groups. The scores of the heart rate perception test and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness were significantly lower in the DM and DD groups. In conclusion, children who have experienced trauma and developmental disabilities may have different sensory characteristics than children with only developmental disabilities or none, implying the need for further research and tailored care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Ide-Okochi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan;
| | - Mu He
- Graduate School of Health Sciences Education, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan
| | - Tomofumi Tokieda
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
| | - Satsuki Nakamura
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 862-0976, Japan;
| | - Nobutomo Matsunaga
- Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
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Leal ASM, Alba LA, Cummings KK, Jung J, Waizman YH, Moreira JFG, Saragosa-Harris NM, Ninova E, Waterman JM, Langley AK, Tottenham N, Silvers JA, Green SA. Sensory processing challenges as a novel link between early caregiving experiences and mental health. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:1968-1981. [PMID: 36523255 PMCID: PMC10734795 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Early caregiving adversity (ECA) is associated with elevated psychological symptomatology. While neurobehavioral ECA research has focused on socioemotional and cognitive development, ECA may also increase risk for "low-level" sensory processing challenges. However, no prior work has compared how diverse ECA exposures differentially relate to sensory processing, or, critically, how this might influence psychological outcomes. We examined sensory processing challenges in 183 8-17-year-old youth with and without histories of institutional (orphanage) or foster caregiving, with a particular focus on sensory over-responsivity (SOR), a pattern of intensified responses to sensory stimuli that may negatively impact mental health. We further tested whether sensory processing challenges are linked to elevated internalizing and externalizing symptoms common in ECA-exposed youth. Relative to nonadopted comparison youth, both groups of ECA-exposed youth had elevated sensory processing challenges, including SOR, and also had heightened internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Additionally, we found significant indirect effects of ECA on internalizing and externalizing symptoms through both general sensory processing challenges and SOR, covarying for age and sex assigned at birth. These findings suggest multiple forms of ECA confer risk for sensory processing challenges that may contribute to mental health outcomes, and motivate continuing examination of these symptoms, with possible long-term implications for screening and treatment following ECA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura A. Alba
- Graduate School of Education, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Kaitlin K. Cummings
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane & Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jiwon Jung
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane & Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yael H. Waizman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Emilia Ninova
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jill M. Waterman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Audra K. Langley
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane & Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Silvers
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shulamite A. Green
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane & Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Kearney BE, Lanius RA. The brain-body disconnect: A somatic sensory basis for trauma-related disorders. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1015749. [PMID: 36478879 PMCID: PMC9720153 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1015749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the manifestation of trauma in the body is a phenomenon well-endorsed by clinicians and traumatized individuals, the neurobiological underpinnings of this manifestation remain unclear. The notion of somatic sensory processing, which encompasses vestibular and somatosensory processing and relates to the sensory systems concerned with how the physical body exists in and relates to physical space, is introduced as a major contributor to overall regulatory, social-emotional, and self-referential functioning. From a phylogenetically and ontogenetically informed perspective, trauma-related symptomology is conceptualized to be grounded in brainstem-level somatic sensory processing dysfunction and its cascading influences on physiological arousal modulation, affect regulation, and higher-order capacities. Lastly, we introduce a novel hierarchical model bridging somatic sensory processes with limbic and neocortical mechanisms regulating an individual's emotional experience and sense of a relational, agentive self. This model provides a working framework for the neurobiologically informed assessment and treatment of trauma-related conditions from a somatic sensory processing perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanne E. Kearney
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Ruth A. Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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