What evidence is there that occupational therapy “works” for treating SPD?
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy in March-April 2007 published the first research study ever to evaluate the outcome of occupational therapy with a sensory integration approach (OT-SI) that met all four criteria of a randomized control trial (RCT). This study was the culmination of ten years of research by the SPD Foundation and addressed the methodological limitations of the estimated 80 previous studies of treatment effectiveness. The question posed by the trial: Is OT-SI effective in ameliorating the difficulties of children with Sensory Over-Responsivity compared to a placebo treatment and no treatment (a comparison of three groups). Children in the OT-SI group received OT with a sensory integration approach twice a week for 10 weeks. The treatment was manualized (based on a written manual) using principles proposed by Dr. A. Jean Ayres, who first identified sensory integration dysfunction (now called SPD). The results: Compared with children who received an alternative
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy in March-April 2007 published the first research study ever to evaluate the outcome of occupational therapy with a sensory integration approach (OT-SI) that met all four criteria of a randomized control trial (RCT). This study was the culmination of ten years of research by the SPD Foundation and addressed the methodological limitations of the estimated 80 previous studies of treatment effectiveness. The question posed by the trial: Is OT-SI effective in ameliorating the difficulties of children with Sensory Over-Responsivity compared to a placebo treatment and no treatment (a comparison of three groups). Children in the OT-SI group received OT with a sensory integration approach twice a week for 10 weeks. The treatment was “manualized” (based on a written manual) using principles proposed by Dr. A. Jean Ayres, who first identified sensory integration dysfunction (now called SPD). The results: Compared with children who received an alternati
