Graduation Year
2021
Document Type
Capstone Project
Project Type
Quantitative Study
Degree Name
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
Program
Occupational Therapy
Program Chair
Julia Wilbarger, PhD, OTR/L
Faculty Advisor
Julia Wilbarger, PhD, OTR/L
Abstract
Given the wide-spread use of sensory integration intervention for the pediatric population in occupational therapy practice, it is necessary to explore the connection between sensory integration and children’s participation in daily occupations. Although there is a wide breadth of knowledge examining the impact of sensory integration intervention, there is currently a gap in the literature establishing the underlying relationship between sensory integration and children’s occupational participation. This study recruited 22 children, ages 5-12 to examine the relationship between sensory integration and occupational participation by utilizing two parent report measures: Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) and Participation & Environment Measure- Children and Youth (PEM-CY). Our findings suggest there is a moderate negative correlation between sensory processing and occupational participation in the home setting; therefore, the less sensory dysfunction a child has, the more they were found to participate in occupations.