NEW SENSORY INTEGRATION ASSESSMENT :
NEW SENSORY INTEGRATION ASSESSMENT :
EVALUATION IN AYRES SENSORY INTEGRATION ® ( EASI )
By : Erin Sweeney , OTS-II , Dr . Lauren Stone Kelly , OTD , OTR / L , Rita Moore , MS , OTR / L
Introduction : Sensory processing abilities may limit one ’ s occupational performance and participation . Therefore , an accurate assessment of these abilities is necessary for occupational therapists to target interventions and create treatment goals when working with clients who have sensory processing needs .
Research Method : The integration scholarship approach , from the Boyer Model of Scholarship , was used while conducting this research . This approach gathers information from multiple sources to create a more comprehensive report .
Ayres Sensory Integration ®: A . Jean Ayres , PhD , OTR , FAOTA developed the Ayres Sensory Integration ® framework to provide evidence-based practice when working with children with sensory integration difficulties . Sensory integration is one ’ s ability to process sensory input from their environment and respond accordingly . Ayres Sensory Integration ® intervention aims to improve sensory perceptual abilities , self-regulation , motor skills , and praxis . The intervention can involve exposing the child to different sensory experiences and planning actions .
SIPT : For years the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests ( SIPT ) has been called the gold-standard for assessing sensory processing in children . However , practitioners have raised recent concerns listed below …
• Small age range
• Costly for practitioners
• Normative data includes children only from North America
• Has not been updated in 30 years
EASI ®: The Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration ® ( EASI ) is a new assessment that includes additional measures as well as all the functions measured by the SIPT .
• Standardized , performance-based , and norm-referenced direct measures
• Fit for children ages 3 to 12 years 11 months old
• International norms are being gathered currently
• Tests administered individually or in combination with others
• Comprehensive test time will ideally take an hour to an hour and a half
• Low cost or no cost at all
• Materials can be purchased from generic sites
( Mailloux et al ., 2018 )
1 Illinois Occupational Therapy Association | 2024 ISSUE 3 / 4