Sensory Processing Measure (SPM)

Purpose: Provide a complete picture of children's sensory processing difficulties at school and at home

Age: 5-12 years

Time: 15-20 minutes (each form)

Recognising that sensory processing problems often manifest differently in different environments, the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) utilises three integrated rating forms to assess sensory processing, praxis, and social participation at home, at school, and in the community.   

The design of the SPM allows you to consider whether a child's performance is being hindered by sensory processing or sensory integration difficulties.

The SPM provides norm-referenced standard scores for two higher level integrative functions—praxis and social participation—and five sensory systems—visual, auditory, tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular functioning. Within each system, it offers descriptive clinical information on processing vulnerabilities, including under- and over-responsiveness, sensory-seeking behaviour, and perceptual problems.

Forms

Home Form

The Home Form (75 items) is completed by the child’s parent or home-based care provider. The Home Form yields eight parallel standard scores (Social Participation, Vision, Hearing, Touch, Body, Awareness (proprioception), Balance and Motion (vestibular function), Planning and Ideas (praxis) and Total Sensory Systems.

Scores for each scale fall into one of three interpretive ranges: Typical, Some Problems, or Definite Dysfunction.

Main Classroom Form

The Main Classroom Form (62 items) is filled out by the child’s primary classroom teacher. The Main Classroom Form yields eight parallel standard scores (Social Participation, Vision, Hearing, Touch, Body, Awareness (proprioception), Balance and Motion (vestibular function), Planning and Ideas (praxis) and Total Sensory Systems.

Scores for each scale fall into one of three interpretive ranges: Typical, Some Problems, or Definite Dysfunction.

School Environments Form

The School Environments Form (10 to 15 items per environment) is completed by other school personnel who work with and observe the child. Provided on an unlimited use CD, it lets you look at the child’s functioning in six school settings outside the main classroom (Art Class, Music Class, Physical Education, Recess/Playground, Cafeteria, and School Bus).

Each environment has its own 5-minute Rating Sheet, which you can print out and distribute as needed. Cutoff scores indicate presence or absence of sensory processing problems in each setting—giving you a more comprehensive picture of the child.

Now Available Online!

The SPM Online is accessed via the WPS Online Evaluation System (platform.wpspublish.com). The WPS Online Evaluation System offers convenient SPM online administration and scoring.

Online testing allows clinicians to:

• Administer locally or remotely
• Email links to online forms directly to raters
• Check the status of an administration at any time
• Consume an online form only when you score it—never lose a print form again
• Easily see how many licenses are left so you never run out
• Score quickly and easily—no need for manual calculations
• View, save, and print reports so you can easily share valuable information with teachers, parents, and others involved in treatment
• Download and print Response Sheets when parents don’t have Internet access
• Share online uses and other resources easily with the organization feature