Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Deep Pressure Proprioception Touch Technique

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • 50 Accesses

Synonyms

Wilbarger Protocol

Deep pressure proprioceptive touch technique (DPPT): Previously known as the Wilbarger Protocol, DPPT was developed by two occupational therapists, Patricia and Julia Wilbarger, to address sensory defensiveness. This technique requires specific training and includes three parts where first a client’s arms, back, and legs are brushed firmly with a soft-bristled brush similar to a surgical brush. Then joint compressions are applied at specified joints throughout the body, and finally a sensory diet is prescribed to address sensory defensiveness. This technique has been effectively used to reduce sensory defensiveness and has been linked to bringing salivary cortisol levels closer to normal values in children with sensory processing deficits. The cortisol levels have been used as a measure of stress in children, and with the use of the DPPT, the levels of cortisol approached a normal level. The recommended frequency for this technique is every 2 h during...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References and Reading

  • Kimball, J. G., Lynch, K. M., Stewart, K. C., Williams, N. E., Thomas, M. A., & Atwood, K. D. (2007). Using salivary cortisol to measure the effects of a Wilbarger protocol-based procedure on sympathetic arousal: A pilot study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 406–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, K. M., & Henry, A. D. (2002). Treatment of adult psychiatric patients using the Wilbarger Protocol. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 18, 43–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilbarger, P. (1984). Planning an adequate sensory diet-application of sensory processing theory during the first year of life. Zero to Three, 5, 7–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilbarger, P., & Wilbarger, J. (1991). Sensory defensiveness in children aged 2–12: An intervention guide for parents and other caretakers. Santa Barbara: Avanti Educational Programs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilbarger, J., & Wilbarger, P. (2002). Wilbarger approach to treating sensory defensiveness and clinical application of the sensory diet. Sections in alternative and complementary programs for intervention. In A. C. Bundy, E. A. Murray, & S. Lane (Eds.), Sensory integration: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: F.A Davis.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Occupational Therapy Department, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA

    Winifred Schultz-Krohn

Authors
  1. Winifred Schultz-Krohn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Winifred Schultz-Krohn .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Schultz-Krohn, W. (2020). Deep Pressure Proprioception Touch Technique. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_1056-3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_1056-3

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation