Is it appropriate to administer the Sensory Profile on a child with severe disabilities?

Frequently Asked Question:

Is it appropriate to administer the Sensory Profile on a child with severe disabilities?

Answer:

Yes, the profile is applicable for children with all types of disabilities and severity levels. However, if the child has not participated in a specific sensory experience, the caregiver will be unable to respond to all the items, and you will not be able to calculate scores for comparison to the sample of children without disabilities. You will gain clinical insights into the child's sensory processing abilities and the child's level of responsivity to sensory events.

This information will enable you to more accurately interpret a child's performance, and even non-performance, on the profile, so that you can design more effective intervention strategies based on your clinical expertise. Note that if you adapt the administration procedures, you may not use the classification system that is based on comparative results using standardized procedures. You may, however, use your clinical judgment to assist in your understanding of the individual's sensory processing patterns and design intervention strategies that incorporate your understanding.