Date Presented 04/7/21 A descriptive study using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile compared the scores of people recovering from addiction with the profile scores of the normative sample and found a preference for sensation avoiding among people recovering from addiction. This knowledge indicates a need for sensory-informed interventions to enhance self-regulation and occupational performance in home, work, and community environments for people recovering from addictions. Primary Author and Speaker: Catana Brown Additional Authors and Speakers: Julie L. Watson Contributing Authors: Jennifer O'Connor Duffy

Date Presented 04/9/21 This study focused on item development of an interoceptive measure grounded in Dunn's Sensory Processing Framework and participation. Items were identified that correlated with their intended subscale. The resulting subscales had good internal consistency (α = .63–.88). These initial findings will be valuable for the further development of an interoception scale that OTs can use for intervention planning. Primary Author and Speaker: Catana Brown Contributing Authors: Tsu-Hsin Howe, Janet Njelesani

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. This retrospective analysis synthesized the results of existing studies examining sensory processing preferences of people with psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, high risk for psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression, posttraumatic stress and obsessive–compulsive disorder. A general pattern of increased sensory sensitivity, sensation avoiding, and low registration and less sensation seeking was identified; however, condition-specific preferences were also noted. Primary Author and Speaker: Catana Brown Additional Authors and Speakers: Megan Steuter

Date Presented 03/27/20 A retrospective analysis of published studies examining sensory-processing preferences of individuals with psychiatric conditions compared the scores reported in the studies to normative values. The results revealed a pattern of greater sensory sensitivity, sensation avoiding, and low registration, and less sensation-seeking among individuals with a psychiatric condition. These findings can contribute to condition-specific sensory-based interventions in the context of occupational performance. Primary Author and Speaker: Catana Brown Additional Authors and Speakers: Rebecca Karim, Megan Steuter

Date Presented 03/27/20 This study focused on item development of an interoceptive measure grounded in Dunn’s Sensory Processing Framework and participation. Items were identified that correlated with their intended subscale. The resulting subscales had good internal consistency (α = .63 to .88). These initial findings will be valuable for the further development of an interoception scale that OTs can use for intervention planning. Primary Author and Speaker: Catana Brown Additional Authors and Speakers: Winifred Dunn

Importance: When occupational therapists understand sensory processing preferences, they can create environments that promote participation. Objective: To determine the sensory processing preferences of people with a psychiatric condition as measured by the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (A/ASP). Data Sources: PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, CINAHL, and OTseeker were searched from 2002 through January 2018. Study Selection and Data Collection: Studies that included people with psychiatric conditions and measured sensory processing preferences using the A/ASP were included. Studies had to report means and standard deviations for all four A/ASP subscales. The retrospective analysis involved extracting sensory processing quadrant scores from each study and comparing these scores with the A/ASP norms by means of independent-samples t tests. Findings: Five studies revealed a general pattern of greater sensory sensitivity, sensation avoiding, and low registration and less sensation seeking among people with a psychiatric condition. For each condition (schizophrenia, high risk for psychosis, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress, and obsessive–compulsive disorder), scores in at least two of the four sensory processing quadrants were significantly different from the normative scores, with some variability in sensory processing preferences across the psychiatric conditions. Conclusions and Relevance: The sensory processing preferences of people with a psychiatric condition differ from those of the normative sample. This research can lead to condition-specific sensory-based interventions targeting a person’s specific sensory needs in the context of occupational performance. What This Article Adds: This article provides new information that compares and contrasts the sensory processing preferences of people with different types of psychiatric conditions. This information can be useful in treatment planning.

OBJECTIVE. We examined the effectiveness of weight loss interventions in community-based settings for people with serious mental illness (SMI). METHOD. Four databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published in 2008 or later that met the criteria for the research question and used weight loss as an outcome measure. Data were extracted, and weight loss was analyzed using a meta-analysis. Similarities and differences in interventions were analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS. Seventeen studies and a total of 1,874 participants with various diagnoses of SMI were included in the meta-analysis. The various lifestyle-focused interventions had a significant effect on weight loss with an overall effect size of −0.308 (p < .001). CONCLUSION. Community-based interventions for people with SMI are effective for weight loss. Occupational therapists can be involved in the provision of weight loss interventions and in the development and study of intervention components that are most effective.

Date Presented 4/16/2015 Exercise videos developed by occupational therapists were studied to determine their impact on physical activity and fitness for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. This poster describes the results of a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective. This article describes a series of studies designed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Adult Sensory Profile. Method. Expert judges evaluated the construct validity of the items. Coefficient alpha, factor analysis, and correlations of items with subscales determined item reliability, using data from 615 adult sensory profiles. A subsample of 20 adults furnished skin conductance data. A heterogeneous group of 93 adults completed the revised Adult Sensory Profile, and item reliability was reexamined. Results. Expert judgment indicated that items could be categorized according to Dunn’s Model of Sensory Processing. Results suggested reasonable item reliability for all subscales except for the Sensation Avoiding subscale. Skin conductance measures detected distinct patterns of physiological responses consistent with the four-quadrant model. Revision of the Adult Sensory Profile resulted in improved reliability of the Sensation Avoiding subscale. Conclusion. The series of studies provides evidence to support the four subscales of the Adult Sensory Profile as distinct constructs of sensory processing preferences.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether occupational therapists (a) value a role educating consumers about the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA; Public Law 101–336); (b) are knowledgeable regarding Title III of the ADA; and (c) implement provisions and empower consumers who use wheelchairs to access public accommodations. Method. A random sample of 510 occupational therapists was surveyed, with 229 responding. Of those surveys returned, 152 respondents who serve clients who use wheelchairs met inclusion criteria. Results. Although 90% of the participants agreed that occupational therapists should have ADA knowledge and should educate consumers, the mean score of ADA accessibility knowledge on a 10-point quiz was 1.85. The mean score of reported actions to implement ADA provisions with clients was 11.78 of a possible 40 points. There was a significant positive correlation between implementation and attitude (r = .3609, p = .01) and between implementation and knowledge (r = .3376, p = .01); however, the correlation between attitude and knowledge (r = .1673, p = .05) was not significant. Conclusion. Therapists’ lack of knowledge and their self-reported inaction with regard to ADA Title III may affect the accessibility of the environment, independence, and empowerment of clients who are wheelchair mobile and, therefore, may impede progress toward fully inclusive communities.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to identify relationships in the 125 items of the revised Sensory Profile, a tool designed to assess children’s responses to commonly occurring sensory events. Method. Parents of 1,115 children ages 3 to 10 years and without disabilities completed the Sensory Profile. The parents reported the percentage of time their children engaged in each of the 125 behaviors listed on the profile. Results. Factor analysis revealed nine discreet factors that indicate sensory modulation and responsiveness: sensory seeking, emotionally reactive, low endurance/tone, oral sensory sensitivity, inattention/distractibility, poor registration, sensory sensitivity, sedentary, and fine motor/perceptual. Conclusions. In addition to the traditional method of organizing sensory history information by sensory system, we may need to consider a person’s thresholds to sensory events as well as his or her responsiveness to sensation. Because the Sensory Profile factors in these children without disabilities are similar to patterns observed in children with various disabilities, it may be that some sensory processing problems are related to intensity or duration of behaviors as they begin to interfere with functional performance in daily life.

Objective: Occupational therapists frequently evaluate instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) performance with interviews and observation of simulated tasks. This study examined the congruence of judgments of independence when comparing task performance assessed by interview and simulation with task performance assessed by observation in the natural environment. Method: Twenty person with severe mental illness were selected through convenience sampling and evaluated on two IADL task (making a purchase in a store and using the bus). The participants were evaluated on each task with two methods of assessment: interview and simulation and observation in the natural environment. Results. Results indicated inconsistent performance across assessment approaches and tasks and supported the importance of considering contextual features in understanding the complexity of performance in the natural environment. A trend toward false positives was found in which several participants were judged independent on the IADL assessment but could not perform the same tasks in the natural environment. Conclusion. Occupational therapists should be cautious when making judgments of independence on the basis of interview and observation of simulated tasks. Evaluating IADL performance in the persons’ natural environment may provide more accurate information.