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Description

Abstract: Occupational therapists use sensory diets to help clients address challenging behaviors, promote development, and optimize daily functions, performance and participation in daily activities. Sensory diets are specific routine-based schedules that are designed and applied by Occupational Therapists in order to meet the needs of the client (Peterson et al., 2018). A plethora of literature addresses how sensory diets are used to support those with sensory disorders (Mills and Chapparo, 2018). The purpose of this scoping review is to appraise and synthesize the literature supporting the use of sensory diets and to identify the gaps in the evidence and inform future research.

Methods: The research was collected using the following databases: CINAHL Complete, ERIC, PsychInfo, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Iceberg, and PubMed. The websites used are as follows: AOTA, AJOT, Australian OTA, Sensory Integration Global Network, and Gray literature sources such as occupational therapy dissertations and theses.

Results: 8 articles met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the evidence demonstrated a positive effect of sensory diets to support children with sensory processing disorders. Sensory diets led to positive behaviors and supported a child's optimal performance throughout their daily life. SD’s were used in multiple settings, creating a wide environmental scope of practice for occupational therapists.

Conclusion: Occupational Therapists can utilize sensory diets within their practice to promote engagement and participation in one’s day-to-day occupations.

Department

Occupational Therapy

Publication Date

2024

Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

Dominican University of California

City

San Rafael, CA

Keywords

Sensory diets, Sensory diets for occupational therapy, Sensory diets for children, Sensory-based intervention, Sensory processing disorder

Disciplines

Occupational Therapy

Sensory Diets within Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practice: A Scoping Review


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