Southern California Sensory Integration Tests Research Articles

The relationship between articulation disorders and motor coordination in children.

This study was designed to examine the relationship between articulation disorders, soft neurological signs, and motor abilities. Fifteen children with articulation problems, as measured by the Templin-Darley Articulation Screening Test and a connected speech sample, were compared with a normal control group (matched for sex and age) on the Quick Neurological Screening Test, the Imitation of Postures test (from the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests), and the 1984 version of the Stott Test of Motor Impairment that has been revised by Henderson. A significant difference was found between the groups on the Motor Impairment Test and the Quick Neurological Screening Test, supporting the hypothesis that the articulation disorder children would have more motor coordination problems and soft neurological signs than the normal children in the control group. There was no between-group difference on the Imitation of Postures test, suggesting that as a group, children with articulation deficits are not dyspraxic. This study supports other research findings stating a relationship between articulation problems and motor impairment, but it also indicates that this motor impairment is not necessarily dyspraxia.

Characteristics of vestibular function and static balance skills in deaf children.

The vestibular function and static balance skills of 34 children who had sensorineural deafness, ranged in age from 5 to 9 years, and attended the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf were compared with normative data. The purpose of the investigation was to describe the characteristics of vestibular function and static balance skill in deaf children who had no other known handicaps. We explored the relationship between these two characteristics. The Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus test and the Standing Balance subtests (eyes open and closed) of the Southern California Sensory Integration tests were used to evaluate the deaf children. Comparison of study results with norms revealed a significant difference in duration of postrotary nystagmus between hearing and deaf children. Balance skills were not significantly related to level of vestibular response. No significant sex differences were found in the vestibular or balance status of the deaf children. The differences in the characteristics of vestibular function and static balance skills in the deaf children compared with hearing children are important to therapists working with the deaf. Therapists should consider that these differences exist when they identify those deaf children with learning or other sensory-motor problems. Therapists familiar with the use of the Southern California Sensory Integration tests and Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus test must be cautious in using these tests with the deaf until they are standardized for this group.

The Effects of Movement Speed and Initial Position on Movement Reproduction Accuracy

This study examined two different cues that might be used in the reproduction of movement: (1) the initial position of the movement and (2) the terminal location of the movement. An experiment was designed to assess the relative importance of these two cues using the kinesthesia subtest of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests with 48 college juniors A 2 × 2 factorial design was used One factor, speed of movement, had two levels, fast and slow, as did the other factor, angle of approach—altered approach or original approach. The dependent measures were distance error from the target and angle error. The results suggested that angle of approach was not an important variable in reproduction of movement. However, a significant effect ( p<05) was found for speed of movement, indicating that fast movements caused a significantly larger error in direction than did slow movements These data imply that the terminal location of a movement is the more salient cue, independent of the extent or angle of the movement.

Sequential versus simultaneous graphesthesia tasks in 6- and 10-year-old children.

Reported in the statistics of the Southern California Graphesthesia Test are significant sex differences for certain young age groups, with females scoring higher than males. In contrast, another study has reported that adult males scored higher than females on the same test. The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction between sex and age and to investigate a possible explanation for this interaction. Sixty-four normal children between the ages of 6.0 and 7.0 years, and 10.0 and 11.0 years were administered two graphesthesia tasks. One task was an adaptation of the Graphesthesia Test of the Southern California Sensory Integration Test (SCSIT). In this task, shapes were drawn sequentially on the palmar surface of the child's hand. A second task was devised whereby each of the same shapes was presented in a simultaneous manner, that is, the entire outline of each shape was pressed onto the palmar surface of the child's hand. Results indicated that for both tasks, younger boys performed relatively less ably than girls, but older boys equalled or surpassed the girls. At a level approaching significance, females scored relatively higher than males on the sequential task, and males scored relatively higher than females on the simultaneous task. However, this tendency toward an interaction between sex and the type of task does not fully explain the interaction between sex and age on graphesthesia tasks.

Comparison of the Motor Tests of the SCSIT and the L-NNBC

This study compared the test-retest reliability of the seven motor tests of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests (SCSIT) with the motor skills subtest of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery—Children's Version (L-NNBC). Both sets of motor performance items were administered twice to a group of 30 dysfunctional 8-year-old children. There was a 1-week interval between test administrations. In addition to reliability comparisons, data were analyzed to determine correlations among individual as well as total motor test scores of the two instruments The test-retest reliability coefficients of the SCSIT motor tests ranged from .41 to .91, while coefficients for the L-NNBC subtests ranged from .30 to .93. Total motor performance scores for the SCSIT and L-NNBC had observed test-retest reliability estimates of .97 and .87, respectively. The total motor performance scores for the two instruments had a correlation of r = .83 for the 30 subjects tested. These findings are discussed in relation to factors that may influence reliability coefficients in normal children as well as children with dysfunctions.

Relationships among self-concept and school achievement, maternal self-esteem and sensory integration abilities for learning disabled children, ages 7 to 12 years.

52 learning disabled students were assessed to evaluate the relationships among self-concept and (a) school achievement, (b) maternal self-esteem, and (c) sensory integration abilities. Of these variables, perceptual motor abilities as measured by the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests contributed to reported self-concept of learning disabled students.

The performance of adult males on the Southern California Figure-Ground Visual Perception Test.

The Southern California Sensory Integration Tests have been developed primarily for the evaluation of children with learning disabilities, yet they have potential for the assessment of adult perceptual dysfunction. In this research the Southern California Figure-Ground Visual Perception Test (FGP) was administered to a sample of 100 adult males and validated through correlation with the Embedded Figures Test (EFT). The results of the investigation found a normal distribution of figure-ground scores in addition to a significant correlation with the EFT. The means, standard deviations, and ranges are presented. Further data on relationship of the FGP to age, socioeconomic status, and educational level are presented, as well as a detailed description of the sample. It is concluded that this test is a satisfactory alternative to the EFT in interdisciplinary research by occupational therapists and, as an instrument, it has some important advantages for assessing figure-ground perception in persons with motor impairment or who are under psychotropic medication.

Level of Sensory Integrative Functioning in Children of Vietnam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

This study investigated the sensory integrative functioning of offspring of veterans exposed to Agent Orange, a herbicide used extensively in Vietnam. The Southern California Sensory Integration Tests and the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test were administered to 12 children: six children whose fathers were exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and six matched control children. Test scores of the two groups were compared on various parameters: general level of sensory integrative functioning, perceptual-motor functioning, visual-perceptual functioning, vestibular functioning, eye-hand coordination, visual-motor integration, and somatosensory functioning. Test results showed that the experimental (Agent Orange) group scored lower on all of the parameters. Statistically significant differences were evident on a composite score of sensory integrative functioning in general, as well as for a composite score on the perceptual-motor subtests. The results of this study, while limited in terms of sample size, suggest that children of Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange are at greater risk for sensory integrative dysfunction than children in the general population. Results also suggest the need for additional research on the offspring of Vietnam veterans exposed to herbicides in Vietnam, as well as a need to assess the consequences of ubiquitous environmental chemical toxins on the neurological development of all children.

Review: Testing and Measurement in Occupational Therapy: A Review of Current Practice with Special Emphasis on the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests

Review: Testing and Measurement in Occupational Therapy: A Review of Current Practice with Special Emphasis on the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests

Correlation of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency with the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests.

Correlations between the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) and the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests (SCSIT) were studied by using test results obtained from a sample of 49 learning-disabled children. It was found that those SCSIT tests with a motor component correlated significantly with the BOTMP battery composite scores. The fine motor composite scores of the BOTMP reflected the greatest percentage of significant correlation with SCSIT tests. These results suggested that the BOTMP would be useful for screening children for referral to occupational therapy by educators. In addition, the high correlation of the BOTMP with the SCSIT motor tests indicated that the BOTMP may be appropriate for use in clinical research to evaluate the effectiveness of sensory integrative procedures in relation to motor function.

Development of Kinesthetic Judgments of Angle and Distance

This study investigated developmental trends in two aspects of kinesthesia. The kinesthesia test of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests was administered to 80 children ages 6, 9, 12, and 15. The test was scored for the ability to reproduce a movement toward a target with angular accuracy (angle error) and for the ability to judge how far to move (distance error). Although improvement on both measures was found over the age range studied, the differences between the groups were significant only with younger children. Six-year-olds were significantly different from the three older groups in both distance error and angle error. In angle error there was also a significant difference between 9-year-olds and 15-year-olds. Both measures showed a marked drop in variability after 6 years of age. A moderate correlation (r = .54) was found between the two measures.

A response to testing and measurement in occupational therapy: a review of current practice with special emphasis on the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests.

A response to testing and measurement in occupational therapy: a review of current practice with special emphasis on the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests.

RELAXATION AS THERAPY FOR HYPERACTIVE CHILDREN

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a relaxation therapy program with a sample of hyperactive, learning disabled, male children. The sample of 16 boys aged 8 to 12 years-old, from a private school providing special education, was divided randomly into an experimental and a control group. Relaxation procedures based on the theories of Jacobson and Bruno were done twice weekly for 11 weeks, during 20 minute sessions. All children in the experimental and control groups were pretested and posttested on six outcome measures. The Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, Motor Accuracy subtest of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests, Abbreviated Parent and Teacher Questionnaires, House-Tree Person test, and Sophistication-of-Body Concept Scale were administered. Significannt levels of differences were reported by most of the outcome measures. It was concluded that relaxation therapy has a direct effect upon the hyperactivity syndrome. Implications for use of relaxation therapy as a component of the occupational behavior frame of reference for the occupational therapist are discussed.

Relationship of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests, the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test, and clinical observations accompanying them to evaluations in otolaryngology, ophthalmology, and audiology: two descriptive case studies.

A preliminary investigation was conducted into the relationship of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests (SCSIT), the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test (SCPNT), and clinical observations accompanying these tests to evaluations in otolaryngolgoy, ophthalmology, and audiology, ophthalmology, and audiology. The subjects were two children with vestibularly based sensory integrative dysfunction. The results revealed that there was no agreement between the results of the SCPNT and the otolaryngological evaluation. There was some agreement between the ophthalmology evaluation and the clinical observations accompanying the SCSIT. Both subjects scored poorly in two areas of auditory processing. Possible reasons for these results are discussed as well as implications for occupational therapy reached and practice.

Incidence of sensory integrative dysfunction among children with orofacial cleft.

Occupational therapists working with children with clefts observed that those children demonstrated subtle developmental delays, including learning, language, and behavioral problems that appeared related to sensory integrative dysfunction as identified by Ayres in children with learning disabilities. This study explored the possible existence of sensory integrative dysfunction in children with clefts when compared to normative data published by Ayres. The Southern California Sensory Integration Tests and the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Tests were administered to 70 four- to nine-year old children with clefts, who had been selected from four different hospital settings. Comparisons of the mean subtest scores of the sample children and the norms showed that significant levels (p less than .05) of difference existed. The subjects with clefts exhibited dysfunction related to vestibular and tactile processing and bilateral integration. No relationship was found between sensory integrative dysfunction and the child's cleft type, sex, or hospital setting.

Characteristics of upper limb movements in a sample of meningomyelocele children.

This study examined the movement characteristics of 41 children diagnosed at having meningomyelocele to whom 13 items from the Southern California Sensory Integration Test were administered. From factor analysis three factors of movement ability emerged. The first factor accounted for 40.1% of the variance and described a pattern representing both constructional and gestural apraxia. Factor II accounted for 16.2% of the variance and was indicative of bilateral coordination. The third factor accounted for 8.2% of the variance where it was observed that some subjects had ataxic-like movements which affected fine motor performance.

Developmental age trends in crossing the body midline in normal children.

The ability to cross the body midline was assessed in 150 normal children, ages 4 through 8, by observing hand usage during the Space Visualizaion Test of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests. A Space Visualization Contralateral Use score (SVCU) was computed for each subject and was regarded as a measure of the tendency to spontaneously cross the body midline. This score is based on a ratio of ipsilateral (uncrossed) to contralateral (crossed) responses. The percentage of time a child use the preferred hand to pick up a block was also recorded. Results indicated that spontaneous midline crossing increased with age. Although the percent of preferred hand responses increased with age, there was enough variability at each age that there were no significant differences among age groups. Perceptual, motor, and psychosocial factors that could influence midline behavior were discussed. Based on the data from this study, a preliminary reinterpretaton of the SVCU score is offered.

Excessive postrotary nystagmus duration in learning-disabled children.

The Southern California Sensory Integration Test results of 109 learning-disabled children were reviewed and analyzed to investigate the hypothesis that learning-disabled children with excessive postrotary nystagmus durations display greater neuropsychological impairment than learning-disabled children with normal or depressed postrotary nystagmus. The findings supported the hypothesis that learning-disabled children judged to have relatively greater neuropsychological involvement exhibited significantly longer postrotary nystagmus durations. Data analysis revealed that six Southern California Sensory Integration Tests assumed to measure cortical level functions shared significant variance with excessive Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test (SCPNT) scores. A similar relationship was not found for normal or depressed SCPNT scores. A connection between cortical level versus brain-stem level central nervous system dysfunction, nystagmus, and learning disorder is discussed.