INFANT AND TODDLER
SENSORY PROFILE
Lauren Tumey & Sarah Durham
PURPOSE:
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To evaluate possible sensory processing patterns
that support and/or interfere with a child’s daily
functional performance.
Helps to identify which specific sensory system or
systems are contributing to dysfunctional behavior.
Provides information about the child’s level of
responsivity (hyper responsive or hypo responsive)
Key Characteristics
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Written by Winnie Dunn, OTR
Age: Birth to 36 months
Available in English or Spanish
Assessment approach:
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Supports family-centered care philosophy
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Judgment based-Caregiver Questionnaire
Ecological and Top Down
Caregiver main source of data collection
Assesses child’s response to sensory stimuli in a natural
environment (daily routines at home)
This tool can be used in early intervention and private
practice setting.
Key Characteristics
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Frame of references
Sensory Integration
 Neuroscience
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Length= 30 minutes
15 minutes to administer
 15 minutes to score
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Areas of occupation
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ADLs (Sleep, eating, bathing, grooming, toileting)
Social participation
Play
Test Cost
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Complete kit =$200.00
 Includes
user’s manual, 25 questionnaires, and 25
summary score sheets
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Profile User’s Manual= $114.00
Questionnaire(25)= $59.00
Summary Score Sheet(25)=$35.00
http://www.pearsonclinical.com/therapy/products/100000389/infanttodd
ler-sensory-profile.html?Pid=076-1649-549
DOMAINS:
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Quadrants:
 low
registration
 sensation seeking
 sensory sensitivity
 sensation avoiding
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Sensory processing
sections:
 general
 auditory
 visual
 tactile
 vestibular
 oral
( 7-36 months only)
TESTING PROCEDURES:
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3 ways to administer:
1.
2.
3.
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Send Caregiver Questionnaire with cover letter for specific
instructions home with parent
Have caregiver complete form in office or clinic
Help caregiver fill out questionnaire( possible language
differences/reading disabilities)
Inform caregiver to fill out front page of Caregiver
Questionnaire including: child’s name, child’s birthdate,
caregiver name, relationship to child, and other
questions.
SPECIFIC ADMINISTRATION
PROCEDURE:
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Instruct caregiver to read each item on the
questionnaire and check the box that best describes the
frequency which he/she observes the behaviors.
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1 Almost always: >90%
2 Frequently: about 75%
3 Occasionally: about 50%
4 Seldom: about 25%
5 Almost never: <10%
Encourage caregiver to make comments under each
section and make sure caregiver answers 2 questions at
end of questionnaire.
Make sure all items are completed because raw scores
cannot be completed for that section or quadrant if one
is missing.
EXAMPLES OF TEST ITEMS:
Birth to 6 months:
36 items
7 -36 months:
48 items
Demonstration
Scoring: Quadrant Grids
Interpretation: 7-36 months
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Definite difference: outside + or – 2 SD
Probable difference: within +/- 1 to 2 SD range
Typical performance: at or between +/- 1 SD
Interpretation: birth- 6 months
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Consult and follow-up
 Scores
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outside + or – 1 SD
Typical performance
Scores at or between + or – 1 SD
Interpretation: Sensory Processing
Sections
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7-36 months ONLY
Test Results
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The results of this measure are not to be used alone.
Should be used in combination with other
evaluations, observations, and reports.
Measure reveals child’s sensory patterns based on
Dunn’s Model of Sensory Processing
 This
helps in guiding treatment planning.
Test Development
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Developed first from the Sensory Profile (ages 3-10)
 Exploratory
study-100 parents of infants and toddlers
completed Sensory Profile and marked out any
inappropriate age items.
 Expert panel- reviewed and sorted items into
quadrants
 Pilot study- Clinical Edition
 Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile –Standardization Edition
study
STANDARDIZATION:
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Standardization sample
 N=589
 0-6
months= 100
 7-36 months=489
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U.S. children without disabilities
Item bias review:
 Age,
gender, region of U.S., ethnicity, yearly income,
and type of community
What about children with disabilities?
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Measure was standardized for children birth to 36 months
without disability, but data was provided to guide
interpretation for children with the following disabilities:
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Developmental delay
Health impairments and metabolic disorders
Pervasive developmental disorder (autism)
Down syndrome
Sensory integrative dysfunction
Language delay
Manual provides appendix that graphs the mean and -/+
1 SD scores for children with and without disabilities.
PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES:
Internal Consistency
Reliability
Test-Retest Reliability
Validity
Birth to 6 months
(.17-.83)
Test-Retest Structure
(n=32)
Content Validity Established
through exploratory study, expert
panels, and pilot study
7 to 36 months
(.42 to .86)
Sensory processing
section scores = .86
Convergent and Discriminant
Evidence (Construct and
Concurrent Validity): Criterion
measure- Infant/Toddler Symptom
Checklist
Quadrant scores=.74
Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) values are provided for each quadrant
and sensory section raw score totals. SEM aid in calculation of confidence
intervals.
Measurement Concerns
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Judgment based tool
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rating is based on parent’s interpretation ( could be
bias)
Should be used in combination with other tools
Can be used by many professionals but recommend
background in sensory processing
Adequate reliability
Reference
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Dunn, W. (2002). Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile.
Bloomington, MN: NCS Pearson, INC.