The Use of the Sensory Integration and Praxis tests with South African Children

Abstract

Background:  The Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT) developed by A. Jean Ayres, are currently one of the best researched and scientifically sound measuring instruments available for detecting developmental problems based on sensory integration functions^{2, 3}. There is currently no instrument of the stature of the SIPT, available that is standardised on the South African (SA) population.   The question that needed to be answered was whether the use of the SIPT on SA children was fair and just, since the SIPT is standardised on a sample of children from the United States (US).

Methodology:  A quantitative, descriptive research design was used to investigate equivalency between the US normative data and a sample of typically developing SA children.

Finding: This research indicated that 12 of the 17 test items of the SIPT can be scored against the normative sample of US children.  There are however five tests within the older age bands (6y 0m – 8y 11m) on which the SA sample of children performed moderately to significantly better and that can cause children who do have sensory integration dysfunctions to go unidentified by the SIPT.

Conclusion and Recommendation:  The scores of five of the tests of children in the older age bands must each be adapted with ½ a standard deviation unit to the negative side before clinical interpretation and reasoning is done by the occupational therapist.

Key words: Sensory Integration, SIPT, use on South African children.