Exploring the impact of a sensory integration strategy within a classroom learning literacy task in Autism education : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects one in 36 children globally, with an estimated 1.6% prevalence amongst children in Aotearoa, New Zealand (James, 2025). Many children experience sensory processing challenges that significantly impact their ability to engage and interact with conventional and traditional learning tasks presented by teachers (APA, 2013). Within the Aotearoa, New Zealand context, although inclusive education is encouraged and widely promoted, there still lacks classroom-based research. There is even less research which explores how the implementation of tailored sensory strategies being embedded into everyday learning tasks can impact learning for autistic children. Therefore, this study addresses the research gap to explore the differences in student engagement between traditional literacy tasks and sensory integrated methods. Two versions of a literacy task were evaluated in the classroom of a specialist school: one version which integrates sensory stimuli (tactile, proprioceptive, auditory, and vestibular), and the other with no sensory elements. Observational data of students' responses and interaction with the activities was collected, alongside semi structured interviews with the classroom teacher. The focus of the interview was to discuss feasibility, effectiveness, as well as the observed differences in behaviour between both the conditions. Findings revealed that when students were presented with the sensory integrated task, there were higher levels of engagement, sustained attention, emotional regulation as well as task participation as opposed to the traditional non-sensory task. The implementation of sensory stimuli supported greater ownership and independence, increased willingness to initiate learning and decreased the need for prompting and re-direction from the teacher. Furthermore, teacher feedback also highlights the practicality and feasibility of the sensory integrated approach to literacy learning, whilst also acknowledging the challenges associated with limited training and resources, as well as time constraint and workload. Overall, this study serves to provide valuable and insightful real-world evidence supporting the integration of sensory based strategies within literacy learning for autistic students, contributing deeply to the movement of inclusive education and neuro-affirming approaches in Aotearoa, New Zealand.