TEMPLATE EVALUATION REPORT FOR SENSORY PROFILE DATA

Brought to you by your friendly, neighborhood mentor, winnie dunn… 1999

Overview comments

The [name the parent, teacher, etc.] express concern about [name the child]’s
ability to [describe the daily life performance that is of concern]. During initial
data gathering strategies, I became aware that sensory processing might be
interfering with performance, so I asked the parents to complete the Sensory
Profile, observed [name the child] during these activities, reviewed a video of
[name the child] performing these tasks, and talked to the [name the parent,
teacher, etc.] regarding their concerns.

My observations, information from discussions and records [describe the daily life
performance that is of concern] and results on the Sensory Profile indicate good
performance in many areas and difficulty in some areas that seem to be
interfering with [name the child]’s ability to [describe the daily life performance
that is of concern].

Description of Sensory Profile as a tool used in the assessment process

I administered the Sensory Profile as part of comprehensive assessment to

determine whether aspects of sensory processing might be contributing to [name
the child]’s performance challenges in daily life.

The Sensory Profile is a caregiver questionnaire that contains statements about

children’s responses to sensory events in daily life. Caregivers report how
frequently their child engages in each of 125 behaviors. There are three sections
on the Sensory Profile, i.e., Sensory Processing, Modulation and Behavior, and
Emotional Responses.
• The Sensory Processing section contains 6 subsections that evaluate
the child’s responses to specific sensory information, including
auditory, visual, responses to movement (i.e., vestibular), touch,
multisensory experiences and oral sensory experiences.
• The Modulation section contains 5 subsections that evaluate various
combinations of responses reflecting the child’s ability to receive
sensory input and organize it for an appropriate response.
• The Behavior and Emotional response section contains 3 subsections
that evaluate behavioral outcomes that occur that are related to
sensory processing ability.
Ways to summarize the child’s performance on the Sensory Profile

SENSORY PROCESSING

[name the child] obtained scores that indicated typical performance on [name
sensory system(s) here] processing, probable differences in [name sensory
system(s) here] processing and definite differences on [name sensory system(s)
here] processing.

Typical performance indicates that [name the child] uses these sensory inputs
successfully. Therefore, [name the child] uses…[select]

• [auditory, visual] input effectively to understand what is going on

around [him, her]
• [vestibular, touch, multisensory] input effectively to understand [his,
her] own body
• [oral] input effectively to obtain and use information from the mouth
area

[name the child] has difficulty with [list which sensory systems are poor]
information. When children have difficulty with [list the sensory system(s)]
processing, it means that this form of sensory input is either confusing, upsetting
or not meaningful to the child. In any case, difficulty with sensory input can
interfere with the child’s ability to complete important activities successfully as
other children do.

MODULATION

[name the child] obtained scores that indicated [select]

typical ability to modulate sensory experiences in daily life. When children have
good modulation, this means that they can organize input to create an
appropriate response. [name the child] has this ability.
OR
difficulty modulating sensory experiences in daily life. [name the child] has
difficulty with [list types of modulation that are difficult]. This means that [he, she]
might have trouble [select from next section]
OR
A range of abilities to modulate sensory experiences in daily life. [name the
child] has difficulty with [list types of modulation that are difficult]. This means that
[he, she] might have trouble [select from next section based on the scores in the
‘definite difference’ range]

• [section G] sitting for long periods, remaining alert and

maintaining participation with peers.
 • [section H] anticipating how to move around safely, resulting in
clumsiness, incoordination and frequent injuries.
• [section I] determining the appropriate responses for situations,
being too excited or too withdrawn for demands of tasks at
different times.
• [section J] responding appropriately to social or environmental
cues, becoming inflexible or upset by situations more easily
than others.
• [section K] understanding the meaning and usefulness of visual
information resulting in inappropriate responses.

In [name the child]’s case, this modulation difficulty may be manifesting itself in
[his, her] struggles to [describe the daily life performance that is of concern].

BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSES

[name the child] obtained scores indicating typical performance on [name

sections], probable differences on [name sections] and definite differences on
[name sections].

When children have good Behavior and Emotional responses, this indicates that
they are using their sensory input and modulation successfully to produce
appropriate responses in everyday life.

[name the child]’s difficult with [name the subsection] indicates that [he, she]
[select appropriate explanation]

• [section L] becomes frustrated or upset easily. These responses can

sometimes be related to confusing information from the sensory
systems. In some cases, the child’s nervous system is not interpreting
the input in a helpful way, leading to the child’s sense of disruption with
what is going on around [him, her].
• [section M] has a poor work product. When sensory processing is also
difficult for the child, a poor score here suggests a relationships
between performance demands and the child’s inaccurate ‘maps’ of
the body and/ or the world, making performance imprecise.
• [section N] is having difficult with general thresholds for responding.
That is, this child may need support to notice most important stimuli
and derive meaning from those stimuli for action.
Example of segments of Tim’s report…(see p. 91-103 in Sensory Profile
User’s manual for the case study ‘Tim’)

[what the teacher, parent and Tim want and need for Tim to do]
Tim’s teacher and mother expressed concern that Tim is a ‘plodder’ in school
work and is becoming more socially isolated. The teacher explained that Tim
takes a longer time to complete work even though he understands, and
frequently misses specific directions.

[skilled observations in salient environments]

I observed him during seatwork, lunchtime, and at recess and saw him lay his
head on the table, lean on teachers and the walls. He seemed unaffected by all
the activity in the lunchroom, and spilled his soup when children bumped into
him. Although other children tried to talk to Tim, he did not notice their questions.
He roamed slowly during recess, but did not seem to be searching for an activity
or friend. He dropped his pencil several times and propped his head on his arm
during seatwork.

[Sensory Profile results being related to performance need]

Results from the Sensory Profile provide insights about Tim’s performance
needs. His low scores on sections D, E, G and I indicate that touch, multisensory
processing and modulation related to endurance and activity level are poor and
therefore do not provide adequate sensory information about his body to respond
as efficiently as other children his age. Because Time is not receiving
information about his body, he is slower to respond and misses information that
he needs to perform at the rate of other children.

[example of recommendation in report]

Tim will profit from interventions that incorporate high intensity body sensory
input into activities to increase the chances that he will notice what is going on
around him and improve his ability to participate.
[see manual for interventions used and their effectiveness]