Adaptation of a Sensory Reactivity Assessment for Use With Children in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Ann Frances Watkyns, Lizahn Gracia Cloete, Linda Diane Parham
PMID 39055325WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers and therapists found American sensory questionnaires hard to read and some balance tasks frightening.
Adapted wording and tasks were accepted by caregivers, but the assessment still needs testing before diagnostic use.
Key findings
01Two themes emerged from the interviews: language problems in the caregiver questionnaires and inappropriate or threatening performance tasks.
02Eighteen preschool questionnaire items, 22 child questionnaire items, and three performance tasks required adaptation.
03Ten gender-specific words were replaced with gender-neutral wording, and all community members accepted the adaptations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The adaptation was based on six community members, so it may not capture problems faced by families outside the three selected Western Cape communities. The community members were not parents of children already receiving occupational therapy and were chosen to be unfamiliar with sensory reactivity, so their feedback may differ from families who seek assessment. The questionnaires were reviewed in English only, so comprehension problems for isiXhosa and Afrikaans speakers may remain and the adapted version was not translated. The study did not test whether the adapted questionnaire or performance tasks accurately identify sensory reactivity difficulties, and the authors call for further evaluation and norms. The interviews took place during the COVID pandemic, which may have made hygiene concerns about oral tasks stronger than usual. One occupational therapist did not meet the intended experience criterion, although the authors included her for other qualifications.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the accepted adaptations as proof that the assessment works for children in the Western Cape. The study asked community members and therapists whether items were understandable and acceptable; it did not test whether the adapted assessment accurately identifies sensory reactivity.