• M Lima, K Silva, I Amaral, A Magalhães, and L de Sousa.
• Departamento de Ciências do Comportamento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal. lima.mariely@gmail.com
• Child Care Health Dev. 2013 May 1; 39 (3): 422-31.

BackgroundThe present study was aimed at assessing the behavioural and physiological responsiveness of three children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities to a set of sensory stimuli.MethodsEighteen items, 'believed' by clinicians to be appropriate for routine interventions, were presented to the participants and responsiveness was assessed in terms of: (i) consistent behavioural and electrodermal reactions and (ii) biphasic changes in heart rate.ResultsResults were twofold. First, all participants showed frequent consistent physiological reactions but rare consistent behavioural ones. Second, all participants showed biphasic changes in heart rate, pointing to the possibility of different appraisals (novelty and pleasantness) of most of the presented items.ConclusionsData here presented may have implications for the development and the emotional well-being of individuals with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities in that it suggests that reactions to, and potential appraisals of, sensory stimuli may occur despite the lack of consistent observable behaviours.© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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