Sensory integration and teacher‐judged learning problems: A controlled intervention trial

Abstract

Seventy-four children from 21 schools referred because of teacher-perceived learning difficulties and prescreened for sensory integration (SI) deficits were given tests of SI, reading, vocabulary, perceptuo-motor function and motor development, and their teachers rated their classroom behaviour. The results showed that the children suffered primarily from attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity, and from mild deficits of SI. They were then divided into two groups matched approximately for sex, school and degree of SI deficits. One group received no treatment while the other was given about 13 weekly SI sessions, each of 1 h duration. All children were then reassessed on the same set of measures. There were significant improvements with time in both treated and untreated groups on most measures except classroom behaviour. Only one measure showed a treatment effect, though this one was most reflective of SI theory.

Efficacy of Sensory Interventions on School Participation of Children With Sensory Disorders: A Systematic Review

“…No significant difference between the experimental and control groups was found for this variable in children with ADHD, or with learning disabilities, 40 sensory disorders, 40,41 or motor difficulties. 41 One study had low scientific quality, 40 whereas the other had moderate quality. 41…”

“…These 2 studies were of moderate scientific quality. No significant improvements in global and fine motor skills were reported for children with ADHD or those with learning disabilities, 40 nor for children with sensory disorders 40,41 and for children with motor difficulties. 41 One study had low scientific quality, 40 whereas the other was moderate.…”

“…Regardless of the diagnosis for the children, none of the studies demonstrated significant differences between the use of sensory integration therapy and other interventions, such as tutoring and perceptual-motor training or no intervention. 37-41…”

Systematic Review of the Research Evidence Examining the Effectiveness of Interventions Using a Sensory Integrative Approach for Children

“…Ziviani, Poulsen, and O'Brien (1982) found the SI approach to be more effective than remedial classroom activities in improving fine motor performance, whereas Werry, Scaletti, and Mills (1990) found that both the SI approach and the no-treatment group improved significantly on motor performance measures. Finally, Wilson and Kaplan (1994) conducted a follow-up study on children with learning disabilities and found that children who received 6 mo of intervention using the SI approach maintained the gains in their gross motor skills 6 mo after the end of intervention.…”

Lessons Learned: A Pilot Study on Occupational Therapy Effectiveness for Children With Sensory Modulation Disorder

“…A homogeneous sample must be narrowly defined using replicable (quantitative) measures. Previous OT-SI studies included heterogeneous (broad) samples such as combinations of children and adults with mental retardation (Close, Carpenter, & Cibiri, 1986), learning disabilities (Carte, Morrison, Sublett, Uemura, & Setrakian, 1984;Werry, Scaletti, & Mills, 1990), and aphasia (DePauw, 1978) and individuals with "at-risk" diagnoses (White, 1979). New nosologies suggest multiple subtypes of SPD criteria that were unavailable for previous studies (Interdisciplinary Council, 2005;Miller et al, 2005;Zero to Three, 2005).…”