Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
A spontaneous emergence of attachment behavior in at-risk children and a correlation with sensory deficits
Karyn B Purvis1, L Brooks McKenzie, David R Cross
1Texas Christian University Institute of Child Development, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Problem:
Complex developmental trauma affects large numbers of children who have suffered from abuse, neglect, and/or deprivation. The effects often manifest in problems of attachment.
Methods:
Researchers conducted therapeutic day camps for at-risk children to determine whether multimodal therapies could ameliorate the effects of complex developmental trauma. Two groups of adopted children (ages 3-9 and 10-14 years) with histories of trauma attended separate 3-week camps.
Findings:
Data analysis indicated a positive correlation between negative attachment behaviors and deficits in sensory processing. Increased pro-attachment behaviors were found to have a significant relationship with pre-camp deficits in sensory processing.
Conclusions:
These results are discussed in the context of systems theory.
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