Relationship between the Sensory Processing Measure and the Sensory Profile 2: do they measure similar sensory processing factors and patterns in children?

Introduction/Rationale:The Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) and Sensory Profile 2(SP2) are both commonly used scales by paediatric occupational therapists to gain anoverview of children’s sensory processing issues. This begs the question: what is therelationship between the sensory processing variables measured by the SPM andSP2?Objective:To investigate the association between the sensory processing variablesmeasured by the SPM and SP2Method:The parents of 40 typically developing children (7.42 years, SD=0.95; 20boys and 20 girls) completed the SPM and the SP2. Raw scores were analysed usingSpearman rho correlations.Results / Practice Implications:The majority of the SP2 and SPM sensory processingscales were significantly correlated with each other at theP<0.05 level. However,three SP2 scales that were found to not be significantly associated with several of theSPM scales: (i) SP2 Seeking/Seeker Quadrant score; (ii) SP2 Body Position Sec-tion score; and (iii) SP2 Conduct Behavioural Section score.Conclusion:The majority of the sensory processing variables measured by the SPMand SP2 were significantly associated with each other. However, three SP2 scaleswere found not be correlated with several SPM scales. This provides useful informa-tion for clinicians when selecting an appropriate sensory processing scale to use toassess children. This project also provides insights into the use of the recently revisedSP2 and the SPM in an Australian context