Abstract
This study is the first to use salivary α-amylase activity (sAA) to evaluate stress in students with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) before and after medical care in schools for special needs education. Oral suction of sputum is one of the medical cares given in schools. And in this study, sAA, heart rate (HR), and degree of oxygen saturation (SpO2) were measured for students before and after such suctioning. Results showed a significant rise in sAA and a rising trend in SpO2 after the care, as well as a negative correlation between SpO2 and sAA before the care. This indicates that while suctioning stabilizes oxygenation, it can also cause the student stress. Furthermore, sAA reflects the child’s physiological stress level during a low oxygenation state. In general, suctioning is performed only until a rise in SpO2 and stabilization in HR. However, the findings indicate that sAA can highlight biological changes which cannot be ascertained through other measurements, and also show the significance of measuring sAA before and after medical care to ascertain the physiological and psychological condition of the student.
