Sensory Therapy for Chewing in Children

NCT07209800 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: NEU-PT2025-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 31
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Brief Summary The goal of this study is to learn if whole-body sensory integration therapy can improve chewing skills and mealtime behaviors in children with chewing difficulties. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the therapy help children chew food better? Does it make mealtimes shorter and more efficient? Participants will: Attend individual sensory integration therapy sessions for 60 minutes, three times a week for 4 weeks Take part in exercises such as vibration, crawling through a tunnel, therapeutic brushing, joint and oral exercises, and sensory activities Be observed for chewing performance and report meal duration and daily meal frequency before and after the therapy Researchers will compare the results from before and after the therapy to see if chewing skills and feeding behaviors improve.

Conditions

Chewing Difficulties in Children; Feeding Behavior Challenges; Oral-motor Dysfunction; Impaired Chewing Function

Keywords

Chewing disorder, Karaduman Chewing Performance Scale (KCPS), Oral awareness, Pediatric rehabilitation, Sensory integration therapy.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Chewing performance:

  Assessed using the Karaduman Chewing Performance Scale (KCPS).

  Pre-intervention assessment: Before the start of the therapy. Post-intervention assessment: Immediately after the completion of the therapy program (4 weeks).

• Meal frequency and duration

  Average daily meal frequency and meal duration recorded via parent interviews.

  Pre-intervention assessment: Before the start of the therapy. Post-intervention assessment: Immediately after the completion of the therapy program (4 weeks).

• Sociodemographic data:

  Age, sex, height, weight, and diagnosis.

  Before the start of the therapy.

Study Arms (1)

Sensory integration therapy

EXPERIMENTAL

Sensory integration therapy (SIT) was delivered individually in a play-based format, three times per week for four weeks, totaling 12 sessions. Each session lasted 60 minutes, and parents were instructed to reinforce the activities at home as homework. All interventions were administered one-on-one by an experienced therapist in a therapy room. The therapist who administered the intervention did not take part in the evaluation process; therefore, the study was conducted in a single-blind manner. Before the intervention, a trust-based relationship was established with the children, and sensory activities were performed within a play context. The interventions were not limited to oral activities but aimed to support overall sensory development \[8\]. Based on this program, sensory integration procedures were applied at regular intervals.

Other: Sensory integration therapy

Interventions

Sensory integration therapy OTHER

Sensory integration therapy (SIT) was delivered individually in a play-based format, three times per week for four weeks, totaling 12 sessions. Each session lasted 60 minutes, and parents were instructed to reinforce the activities at home as homework. All interventions were administered one-on-one by an experienced therapist in a therapy room. The therapist who administered the intervention did not take part in the evaluation process; therefore, the study was conducted in a single-blind manner. Before the intervention, a trust-based relationship was established with the children, and sensory activities were performed within a play context. The interventions were not limited to oral activities but aimed to support overall sensory development \[8\]. Based on this program, sensory integration procedures were applied at regular intervals.

Sensory integration therapy

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 4 Years - 10 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children with chewing difficulties aged around 5 years (approx. 55-69 months, based on mean ± SD)
• Medically stable and able to participate in feeding sessions
• Parental consent obtained

You may not qualify if:

• Children with severe medical conditions or genetic syndromes affecting feeding
• Children receiving other intensive feeding or sensory interventions during the study
• Inability to sit or participate in the evaluation sessions

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Necmettin Erbakan University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Nezahat Keleşoğlu Faculty of Health Sciences

Konya, Meram, 40336, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Officials

• Neslihan Altuntaş Yılmaz, Assistant Professor

  Necmettin Erbakan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Ahmet Sami Güven, Professor

  Necmettin Erbakan University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: The outcomes assessor was blinded; the researcher administering the intervention was not involved in the assessments
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor, PhD

Model Details: This study was conducted as an experimental, single-group, pretest-posttest design. Participants received whole-body sensory integration therapy, and pre- and post-intervention assessments were used to evaluate changes in chewing function and feeding behaviors

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 29, 2025
• First Posted: October 7, 2025
• Study Start: December 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: November 1, 2024
• Study Completion: February 1, 2025
• Last Updated: October 7, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)