Selective change in personal autonomy associated with motor sensory room training in children with autism: an exploratory controlled pre-post study

Structured sensory-motor environments are increasingly used with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but it remains unclear whether their effects extend across multiple functional domains.

This exploratory controlled pre-post study examined the pattern and specificity of behavioral and sensory change associated with a 12-week Motor Sensory Room (MSR) program.

The analyzed sample comprised 54 children: 44 received MSR plus treatment as usual (TAU), and a 10-child comparison cohort received TAU alone. Ordinal behavioral items were directionally recoded into eight composites. Time x Group interactions were tested across two time points, with Bonferroni correction applied separately to the behavioral and sensory outcome families.

Personal autonomy was the only behavioral domain showing a correction-resistant differential improvement, F(1, 52) = 17.72, p < 0.001, Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.254. No other behavioral interaction survived correction. Significant interactions were identified for four raw sensory items (rough, smooth, and soft surfaces and warm sensations); however, these primarily represented different group trajectories and could not be interpreted as clinical improvement without individual baseline hypo-/hyper-reactivity classifications.

The findings do not support a generalized effect of MSR across behavioral or sensory functioning. They provide preliminary evidence of a selective MSR-associated change in personal autonomy that requires confirmation using randomized designs and validated adaptive-functioning measures.