A Standardized Sensory Assessment for Children of School-Age

Abstract

Established paediatric sensory assessments cannot be reliably used on a school-aged populated with significant cognitive or motor impairment. The aim of this study was to develop a standardized sensory assessment for children of school-age (5-18 years). The five sensory modalities tested in this battery are pressure sensitivity, moving 2 point discrimination, stereognosis, proprioception, and directionality. When formulating this battery consideration was given to minimizing motor, cognitive and language requirements. Test performance was assessed in 41 healthy children. Cut-off levels were determined for each sensory modality for the dominant and non-dominant hands respectively. Both test-retest and inter-raterreliability were examined and preliminary results suggest that this battery is a reliable tool.