Identification of Sensory Processing and Integration Symptom Clusters: A Preliminary Study.
Lucy Jane Miller, Sarah A Schoen, Shelley Mulligan and 1 others
PMID 29348739WHAT IT FOUND
Children with sensory processing challenges formed three groups.
All had overresponsivity. Groups with craving or underresponsivity alongside overresponsivity had more motor, discrimination, and behavior symptoms.
Key findings
01The three-cluster solution included High SOR only (n = 117), High SUR plus SOR (n = 73), and High SC plus SOR (n = 62), and all groups had some overresponsivity behaviors.
02The High SUR plus SOR and High SC plus SOR groups had higher postural, praxis, and sensory discrimination scores than the High SOR only group (p < 0.01 for all).
03The High SC plus SOR group had more externalizing symptoms than the High SOR only and High SUR plus SOR groups (p < 0.001; <0.002).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study looked back at records from one private clinic, so the children may not represent all children with sensory processing challenges. The sample was 71.4% male and 80% Caucasian. The cluster method was exploratory, and the authors used a significance level of p < 0.05 despite multiple comparisons. Adaptive behavior, behavior, and attention data were missing for many children, so those comparisons used smaller samples. The SP-3D Inventory is a new measure, and its reliability and validity need more study. The age range was broad, from 4 to 14 years, so developmental differences may affect the clusters. No meaningful clusters emerged when all six sensory subscales were analyzed; the three-cluster solution came only from the three modulation subscales.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these clusters as proven diagnostic types or as evidence that a sensory therapy works. The study was exploratory, used retrospective chart data from one clinic, and did not test interventions.