OBJECTIVE. The study examined behavioral treatment effects of classical sensory integration therapy. METHOD. This study used a prospective longitudinal, single-subject ABAB design. The participant was a boy, age 3 years and 5 months, with average nonverbal intellectual skills, delayed communication skills, and sensory modulation disorder. Difficulties with modulating sensory input and delayed communication skills affected his occupational performance in preschool. Behavioral data were collected in the preschool by teachers who were blind to the type and timing of sensory integration therapy. RESULTS. Improvement in behavior regulation was observed, including increased engagement and decreased aggression, less need for intense teacher direction, and decreased mouthing of objects. CONCLUSION. Classical sensory integration therapy may be associated with improved self-regulatory behaviors.

This study compared the effects of occupational therapy, using a sensory integration (SI) approach and a control intervention of tabletop activities, on the frequency of self-stimulating behaviors in seven children 8–19 years of age with pervasive developmental delay and mental retardation. Daily 15-min videotape segments of the subjects were recorded before, immediately after, and 1 hour after either SI or control interventions performed during alternating weeks for 4 weeks. Each 15-min video segment was evaluated by investigators to determine the frequency of self-stimulating behaviors. The results indicate that self-stimulating behaviors were significantly reduced by 11% one hour after SI intervention in comparison with the tabletop activity intervention (p = 0.02). There was no change immediately following SI or tabletop interventions. Daily ratings of self-stimulating behavior frequency by classroom teachers using a 5-point scale correlated significantly with the frequency counts taken by the investigators (r = 0.32, p < 0.001). These results suggest that the sensory integration approach is effective in reducing self-stimulating behaviors, which interfere with the ability to participate in more functional activities.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of parents’ perceptions of outcomes of occupational therapy intervention using a sensory integration approach. Method. Interviews with parents regarding their children’s participation in occupational therapy were analyzed using grounded theory. Results. The parents’ experiences of sitting in the waiting room while their children received occupational therapy emerged as a powerful outcome theme. Through their interactions with other parents, this particular group of parents gave and received naturally occurring support for parenting children with sensory integrative dysfunction. Additionally, by virtue of repeated experiences of waiting, parents moved to positions of liminality, shared weekly rituals, engaged in downward social comparison, and reframed their views of their children. Conclusion. Implications are proposed for expanding the definition of family-centered intervention; attending to the meaning of the cultural world of practice; and directing future research related to how a physical setting, such as a waiting room, might shape naturally occurring support and social interaction.

The results of studies examining the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy were reviewed, using recently developed quantitative methods that treat the literature review process as a unique type of research. Forty-nine studies were located initially. Eight of these studies met the following criteria: (a) they investigated the effect of sensory integration therapy; (b) they included dependent measures of academic achievement, motor or reflex performance, and / or language function; (c) they included a comparison between at least two groups; and (d) they reported quantitative results of the effect of sensory integration therapy. The 8 studies contained a total of 47 statistical hypothesis tests that evaluated the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy. An analysis of these tests, using quantitative reviewing methods, revealed that subjects participating in sensory integration therapy performed significantly better than members in the control groups who did not receive sensory integration therapy. The application of sensory integration therapy to various client populations is discussed in relation to the existing empirical support revealed in the studies reviewed. The advantages of quantitative reviewing procedures are discussed, and use of the procedures with the developing occupational therapy research literature is recommended.

Twelve college-age students who had either a low grade point average or visual perceptual problems were provided a program of sensory integration activities to determine whether sensory integration therapy would affect their academic performance. Selected reading tests were administered to establish a pre-test baseline. The students were then given a sequenced program of sensory integration activities designed to stimulate the vestibular system. After a 14-week period, reading tests were again administered. Test results indicate a statistically significant improvement in reading skills and support the use of sensory integration therapy for individuals with difficulty learning at the college level.