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Abstract
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Aims: The aim of our study was to compare self-regulation skills, emotional and behavioral problems, autistic features, repetitive behaviors, and executive functions in preschool children with Sensory Over-Responsivity (SOR) Disorder, who do not have psychiatric comorbidities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), with healthy controls. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 15 children with SOR (6 girls, 9 boys; mean age 55.20 months) and 15 age- and sex-matched controls. Clinical assessments, including the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, were conducted to rule out other psychiatric disorders, while the SOR diagnosis was confirmed using the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment SOR subscale. Parents of all participants completed sociodemographic forms and various questionnaires, including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (assessing ADHD symptoms), the Social Responsiveness Scale (for autistic traits), the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory, and the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised. All children underwent a brief self-regulation assessment using the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task. Results and Conclusions: In both groups, data regarding sociodemographic features, autistic traits, repetitive behaviors (including compulsions), and executive functions were similar (all p > 0.05). However, self-regulation skills were significantly poorer in the SOR group (p < 0.001), independent of ADHD symptoms (p = 0.714), repetitive behaviors (p = 0.715), and autistic traits (p = 0.624), as indicated by covariance analysis. Additionally, poor self-regulation was strongly associated with increased SOR severity (r = -0.820, p < 0.001) and ADHD symptoms (r = -0.405, p = 0.026), as well as weaker social interactions (r = -0.520, p = 0.003), greater emotional responses (r = -0.439, p = 0.015), and heightened sensory responses (r = -0.429, p = 0.018). These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions to enhance self-regulation in children with SOR.
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