Why Assess Sensory Processing Skills?

When a child has frequent meltdowns, it may be useful to assess their sensory processing skills. Signs they are having difficulty may include not tolerating noisy environments, eating non-food items, or closing eyes when outdoors on a sunny day. When their senses are overloaded it can be difficult to learn.

Standardized Assessments

My two favorite assessments that I use are the Sensory Processing Measure-2 (SPM-2) and the Sensory Profile-2 (SP-2). Both are in checklist format and require a caregiver (could be a teacher) who is familiar with the person to answer the questions.

The Sensory Processing Measure is for ages 4 months to 87 years. It is broken down into smaller age ranges including infant/toddler, child, and adolescent.

The Sensory Profile 2 ranges in age from birth to 14:11. The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile is a self-reporting checklist for ages 11 and up.

Both assessments are designed to show patterns of behavior but can be skewed somewhat based on environment. For example, the scores from a parent at home may be different than those of a teacher due to differences in expectations and environment set-up. Use the assessments if available but take note of reasons for differences.

How do you assess sensory processing skills without standardized assessments?

Standardized assessments require a familiar adult to fill them out. But what if the student is new to foster care and new to school? Or unfortunately, their caregiver is unreliable or unable to complete the form for some reason?

Observation is usually your best bet. I like to spend time in various situations and environments observing the person to see how they act. While I observe, I note things that may be potential issues, such as a loud classroom, bright lights, or odd smells.

Things to consider:

• Any “unusual” reactions to sensory input
  • For example, licking the playdough instead of manipulating it
  • Unable to tolerate cafeteria smells that others don’t seem to notice
  • Easily distracted by background noises such as a fan in the room
• How do they react to movement input?
  • Can they sit still in their chair for same length of time as peers?
  • Do they utilize or avoid playground equipment?
  • Are they the kids that “bounce off the walls”?
• Do they have any interoception (ability to notice internal sensations) issues?
  • Are they hungry all the time, or never seem hungry?
  • Can they indicate the need to use the restroom (age and developmentally appropriate) or do they have accidents (beyond age 4)
• Do they complain or comment on sensory input?
  • Mentioning odd smells that others don’t notice
  • Complain that classroom is too loud
  • Don’t want to go outside due to bright sun
  • Need to wash hands immediately after doing art projects or during them if they get paint/glue on them
• Do they seem to miss sensory input?
  • Don’t notice when they have food or other substances on their face
  • Don’t notice when hands need to be washed
  • Appear to “ignore” the teacher/parent
  • Appear to be “off in their own world” (but not autistic)
• Do they seek out or avoid sensory input?
  • Are they frequently touching things that others may not touch?
  • Which activities do they engage in when on the playground/park?
  • Do they put non-food items in their mouths?
  • Are they smelling items that are not typically smelled (for example, smelling their paper or pencil)?

If you would like to see a resource that I created to help assess skills and create personalized strategies, click the image

These are some of the things that I like to observe when assessing children. There are many more things you can observe! Hit the comments section and let me know any additional ways you observe when you don’t have standardized assessments available.