Structured Sensory Stimulation for Children with Disorders of Consciousness

Research Objectives: To provide quantitative evidence of the value of a structured sensory stimulation protocol in the population of children with disorders of consciousness (DoC).

Design: Case series describing the potential effects of a structured sensory stimulation program for children with disorders of consciousness.

Setting: Pediatric acute care level I Trauma Center (Children’s Health) in Dallas, Texas.

Participants: Participants included children ranging from 12 months to 18 years with disorders of consciousness resulting from traumatic or acquired brain injury.

Interventions: Participants received 2-4 therapy sessions (10-45 minutes) daily, inclusive of speech therapy, occupational therapy, and/or physical therapy. After receiving education, parents provided an additional session of stimulation each day at their discretion. Sessions included sensory stimulation to 3-5 of the sensory systems. Therapists recommended a 30-45 minute rest break following stimulation.

Main Outcome Measures: A retrospective analysis of data collected from electronic health records from 2018-2022 on patients receiving the treatment intervention. Data included initial and final Coma Recovery Scale- Revised (CRS-R), Coma Near Coma (CNC),. and Ranchos Los Amigos Scale (RLAS) scores and discharge disposition.

Results: Thirty-six patients were included in the study. Twenty-four patients improved on the CNC. The initial average score for patients on the CNC was 2.31 with a final score of 1.06. The initial average score for patients on the CRS-R was 4.77 with a final score of 10.8. The initial average score for RLAS was 1.81 with the final average RLS score of 3.18. Thirty-five patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation.

Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that providing structured, intensive sensory stimulation in the acute setting may result in improved consciousness and discharge disposition.

Author(s) Disclosures: No relevant disclosures