Event Title
Polyvagal Theory Improves Dental Desensitization Programs for Children With Intellectual Disability
Faculty Mentor
John Neill
Major/Area of Research
Behavior Analysis
Description
Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) often avoid or escape dental procedures. Dental professionals typically resort to restraints, sedation or general anesthesia, which are dangerous, alter results and may increase future problem behaviors. Desensitization programs can increase patient compliance. The Polyvagal theory, proposed by Stephen Porges, focuses on the prevention of biological setting events such as stress responses. The purpose of our research is to determine if a Polyvagal intervention would improve cooperation with dental procedures for individuals with a diagnosis of ID. The participants for this study were two children with a diagnosis of ID and Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) instructor. Pilot data indicated high escape behavior for both participants. Procedure: A desensitization program was modified with a task analysis with forward chain presentation to facilitate child compliance. The instructor was trained in therapeutic presence and assessed with a therapeutic inventory. Through direct observation, the researcher rated the instructor using a Likert-like scale. All observations yielded high rates of therapeutic performance in adherence with Polyvagal theory. Current data illustrates an increasing trend in patient compliance for both subjects, indicating the effective value of integrating Polyvagal therapy techniques into dental desensitization programs. Future data collection and research is needed to assess skill maintenance over time and generalization of dental toleration across settings.
Included in
Polyvagal Theory Improves Dental Desensitization Programs for Children With Intellectual Disability
Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) often avoid or escape dental procedures. Dental professionals typically resort to restraints, sedation or general anesthesia, which are dangerous, alter results and may increase future problem behaviors. Desensitization programs can increase patient compliance. The Polyvagal theory, proposed by Stephen Porges, focuses on the prevention of biological setting events such as stress responses. The purpose of our research is to determine if a Polyvagal intervention would improve cooperation with dental procedures for individuals with a diagnosis of ID. The participants for this study were two children with a diagnosis of ID and Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) instructor. Pilot data indicated high escape behavior for both participants. Procedure: A desensitization program was modified with a task analysis with forward chain presentation to facilitate child compliance. The instructor was trained in therapeutic presence and assessed with a therapeutic inventory. Through direct observation, the researcher rated the instructor using a Likert-like scale. All observations yielded high rates of therapeutic performance in adherence with Polyvagal theory. Current data illustrates an increasing trend in patient compliance for both subjects, indicating the effective value of integrating Polyvagal therapy techniques into dental desensitization programs. Future data collection and research is needed to assess skill maintenance over time and generalization of dental toleration across settings.