Sensory processing and occupational participation

Children with atypical sensory integration have difficulty responding to the processing and/or organization of sensory information, this disability affects functional participation in routines and activities of daily living. Participation is defined as involvement in life situations, it is essential to promote life experiences and the development of sensorimotor, cognitive, and social skills. Improving these skills, in turn, allows children to fully participate in age-appropriate activities and occupations. This study aimed to investigate the putative association between sensory processing and occupational participation in children with neurotypical development. Parents or caregivers of 186 children, aged between 6 and 10 years old, completed the Sensory Profile Caregiver Questionnaires (SPCQ) and the Participation in Childhood Occupations Questionnaire (PICO-Q). Surprisingly, 80 children (43%) presented atypical sensory integration. This sub-group presented several associations between the SPCQ and the areas evaluated by PICO-Q, suggesting an association between sensory processing and occupational participation. We suggest that it is important to carry out screenings for sensory integration in preschool children, to promote better occupational participation in school-aged children.