Psychometric Evaluation of the Child Sensory Profile 2 (CSP2) Among Children with Dyslexia

Abstract

Background: Sensory integration is a necessary skill for acquiring reading skills because it strongly depends on the rapid and strong relation between written and verbal symbols. There is no standardized test for Iranian children with dyslexia to investigate their sensory processing problems. Therefore, understanding the validity and reliability of the child sensory profile 2 (CSP2) would be essential for a detailed assessment of sensory impairments in dyslexic children. Objectives: The current research aimed to establish the internal consistency, factor analysis, and convergent validity of the Persian version of CSP2 in children with dyslexia. Methods: The sample of this study included 200 dyslexic children aged 6 to 12 years who were referred to learning disabilities centers in Qom from September 2019 to February 2020 by using the multistage sampling method. To collect data, the CSP2 questionnaire and the dyslexia test (NEMA) were used. The factor structure was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency of the CSP2 was examined by using Cronbach’s alpha. Convergent validity was assessed by examining the relationship between CSP2 and NEMA. Results: Internal consistency was obtained as 0.89, 0.92, 0.77, and 0.94 for the four subscales of sensory processing, namely registration, seeking, sensitivity, and avoiding, respectively. The result of confirmatory factor analysis gained support for Dunn's four-factor model. Total scores of NEMA were correlated with the scores of CSP2 subscales (seeking, avoiding, sensitivity, and registration). Conclusions: The Persian version of the Child Sensory Profile 2 is a valid (via confirmatory factor analysis and convergent validity) and reliable (via internal consistency) tool for assessing sensory processing in children with dyslexia.