Development of a Screening Procedure
for Sensory Responsivity

Lucy Jane Miller lucymiller@frii.com &
Barbara Brett-Green

The Coleman Institute has partnered with the Wallace Research Foundation to support the "Development of a Screening Procedure for Sensory Responsivity" Initiative. The purpose of this project is to initiate the development of a standard screening procedure for assessing sensory over-responsivity in individuals ages 3 through adulthood. Historically, disagreements over diagnostic criteria for syndrome validation for individuals with sensory processing impairments have impeded a research agenda. Development of a screening procedure could help assure that individuals included in research on sensory responsivity display similar phenotypes.

The pilot study will result in both a rating scale (Inventory) that can be administered to Self or Caretaker, and a performance measure (Assessment) that will be administered by a trained examiner. Extensive item development activities will occur including review of related literature and scales and review by subject matter experts. The resulting Inventory and Assessment will be administered to 130 typically developing individuals ages 3 to 55, and will also include 60 reliability test sessions (30 test-retest and 30 inter-rater), and 130 validity test sessions (administration to children and adults with sensory processing impairments).

For more information, contact principal investigator Lucy Jane Miller, Ph.D., Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; and the Sensory Integration Dysfunction Treatment And Research (STAR) Center, The Children's Hospital.

The Sensory Integration network

Read transcript of interview of Dr. Lucy Miller with ABC News