The Sensory Profile: The Performance of a National Sample of Children Without Disabilities

Abstract

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to obtain data about a national sample of children without disabilities on the 125-item revision of the Sensory Profile, a tool derived from sensory history items reported in the literature and designed to evaluate children’s responses to commonly occurring sensory events. Method. Parents of 1,115 children completed the Sensory Profile. The children were 3 to 10 years of age and did not have disabilities. Parents used a 5-point Likert scale to report the percentage of time their children engaged in each behavior Researchers then analyzed the data, using multivariate methods to identify trends in performance and age and gender differences. Results. Ninety-one (73%) of the profile’s 125 items were found to be uncommon behaviors for this national sample of children without disabilities. Although age and gender differences were significant ( p < .001), effect sizes were so small (i.e., below .2) that differences were not meaningful for clinical application (i.e., mean differences less than .5 points). Only two items in the visual category approached a 1-point difference when comparing younger and older children. Conclusion. There were no meaningful gender differences on the revised Sensory Profile, and only 2 items approached a meaningful difference related to age. Nearly three fourths of the items on the profile were uncommon for children without disabilities. If children with various disabilities display these behaviors, the Sensory Profile can be useful in evaluation and program planning for children with disabilities.