The data supports positive relationships between anxiety and sensory defensiveness in all age ranges and a relationship between depression and hyposensitivity in older children. Stronger inverse relationships were apparent between specific adaptive behaviors including: (a) symptoms of depression and functional academics, leisure, social skills; (b) anxiety and functional academics; and (c) both sensory hyper- and hyposensitivity and community use and social skills. In this study, as the symptoms of affective disorders increased in children and adolescents with Asperger's disorder, the functional performance in the adaptive behaviors of functional academics and social skills appeared to decrease. Performance in the adaptive behaviors of community use and socials skills appeared to decrease as symptoms of dysfunction in sensory modulation increase. Further research is necessary to determine the impact of treatment for dysfunction on sensory modulation on affective disorders and performance in specific adaptive behaviors.

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Culturally sensitive and valid assessments of participation in occupations are needed for Spanish-speaking children to enhance services offered to this population. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the newly developed Spanish version of the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and Preferences for Activities of Children, the Evaluación de Participacion y Disfrute de los Niños y Preferencias de las Actividades de los Niños (EPDN/PAN). The sample included 249 children with and without disabilities, aged 6 to 15 years. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the participation of children with disabilities and children without disabilities, and between younger and older children were found. No statistical significant differences were found between males and females in the dimensions of participation assessed. Adequate internal consistency (0.70-0.92) was found for the PAN scale and the Overall and Informal domain scores of the EPDN-Intensity scale. Further study is needed to evaluate the formal domain scale and gender differences by activity types.

Mixed methods data analysis revealed the complex nature of the interaction between mothering occupations and mothering a child with feeding concerns as well as how these concerns might influence occupational therapy practice.

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