Sensory profile of children with low-functioning autism and the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with proximal senses: results from a randomized cluster trial

Objectives The present study analyzes the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with proximal senses on sensory profile of children with low-functioning autism.Methods A sample of 50 of these children who were diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder (score less than 91 on the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale Score and IQ less than 70 based on the child’s health record), with an average age of 7 to 10 years was selected and then randomly placed in two experimental and control groups.Results The research findings showed that after the intervention, the components of sensory processing, namely tactile sensitivity, taste/smell sensitivity, movement sensitivity, underresponsive/seeks sensation, auditory filtering, low energy/weak, and visual/auditory sensitivity improved in autistic children.Conclusions Transcranial direct current stimulation may emerge as a promising therapeutic avenue for children with ASD, its clinical application could become increasingly widespread, adding valuable practicality in clinical settings