Abstract
The subjects of this study were two children with profound brain and respiratory disabilities and in whom we had difficulty differentiating between sleep and arousal. We measured their nasal skin temperature at sites of educational approaches. We investigated the validity of evaluations using nasal skin temperature by comparing them with heart rate obtained using a pulse frequency monitor that the children consistently used. The results showed a greater than 50% matching rate between accelerated heart rate as a reaction to an external stimulus and a reduction in temperatures, calculated by the difference between the nasal surface and the forehead. Further, with stimuli that resulted in this effect, biases were confirmed in other sensory system categories. Therefore, these findings suggest that nasal skin temperature may be utilized when searching for unwanted forms of stimulation that cause unpleasant emotional states in children with profound brain and respiratory disabilities.
