Appropriate for all ages, the Sensory Integration Inventory Revised for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities is a preliminary assessment for occupational therapists who serve people with developmental delays and disabilities. It is designed to screen for clients who might benefit by a sensory integration treatment approach. Since these behaviors are not addressed in standardized assessments and the behaviors themselves interfere with formal test taking skills, this is an effective and appropriate tool for this population. This tool provides information on the subject's sensory processing abilities and specific self-stimulating or self-injurious behaviors.
Purpose: Designed to screen for clients with developmental delays and disabilities who might benefit by a sensory integration treatment approach. Ages: All ages. Administration Time: 30 to 60 minutes of observation and caregiver interview.
The Inventory is divided into sections associated with sensory integrative processing: tactile, vestibular, proprioceptive, and general reactions. In each section behaviors suggestive of sensory needs are listed as well as the self-stimulatory or self-injurious behavior associated with that system. The evaluator indicates whether or not these behaviors have been observed. A profile of sensory strengths and needs and associated self-injurious and self-stimulating behaviors is elicited through this process that provides a guideline for treatment.
The User's Guide gives a rationale for the inclusion of each item in the Inventory as an indicator of sensory integrative dysfunction. It also provides an alternative, sensory explanation for behaviors that are often presumed to be primarily psychosocial in origin. It has also been recommended as a learning aid for occupational therapy students because it provides down-to-earth examples that help explain many sensory integration concepts.
Author: Judith Reisman, Ph.D., OTR and Bonnie Hanschu, OTR
