Exploration of Common Sensory Interventions Utilized in School-Based Occupational Therapy

ABSTRACT

Occupational therapy practitioners provide sensory-based interventions to support children as they learn academically, develop self-regulation skills, and participate in play and activities of daily living skills alongside their peers. These interventions are used both for children who have a specific sensory-related diagnosis as well as children who do not have a specific diagnosis. This study explored common occupational therapy sensory interventions utilized within the United States school settings along with implementation barriers for sensory intervention services for children ages 3–18 years old. Occupational therapy practitioners completed an electronic survey and a focus group. Results indicated that many occupational therapy practitioners frequently used sensory interventions through indirect services with children in preschool and elementary school. Occupational therapy practitioners must provide interprofessional training for education teams for effective sensory intervention implementation in school-based settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• direct services
• indirect services
• self-regulation
• sensory intervention

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the practitioners who provided feedback on the survey and focus group questionnaire. The authors are grateful to the study participants, who without their participation this study would not have been possible.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.