2018 Volume 22 Issue 2 Pages 145-152
Some patients with Down syndrome who request treatment for feeding and swallowing disorders seem to present not only with these symptoms but also with sensory response problems. Here, we examined the relationship between feeding and swallowing disorders with sensory response problems (i.e., response problems to sensory stimuli) as measured by the Japanese version of the Short Sensory Profile. The subjects were patients who visited the swallowing rehabilitation departments of two hospitals and consulted the School for Special Needs Education. Parental consent was obtained for all subjects. In total, 20 subjects aged 3–11 years (mean age, 7.1±2.7 years) were selected. Sensory response problems were measured in seven sections including tactile sensitivity and taste/smell sensitivity. Answers were summed in each section and a total score was calculated. “Probable differences” lie between the first and second SD below the mean and a “Definite difference” lies below the 2SD mark. Feeding and swallowing disorders were evaluated using two items: swallowing ability and mastication ability. Using these measures, patients were diagnosed with or without sensory response problems and with or without feeding and swallowing disorders. We combined the two measures and categorized the subjects into four groups: patients with a feeding problem only (Group F), those with a sensory response disorder only (Group S), those with both (Group FS), and those with neither (Group N) for each feeding and swallowing disorder. A significant difference was observed in terms of tactile sensitivity in the definite difference range, and swallowing disorders (p＝ 0.014). Moreover, a significant difference was observed in terms of movement sensitivity, auditory filtering in the probable difference range, and mastication disorders (p＝ 0.018) (p＝ 0.002). Patients with Down syndrome who request treatment for feeding and swallowing disorders are affected by several related problems, including sensory response problems that vary among individuals. Therefore, we suggest that sensory response problems need to be considered when treating feeding and swallowing disorders.
