Sensory processing abilities of children who have sustained traumatic brain injuries.

OBJECTIVE This study describes the sensory processing abilities of children ages 3-10 who sustained a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHOD We used a prospective, descriptive study design with convenience sampling of 20 children who were admitted to a pediatric neurosurgical unit. Caregivers provided information regarding their child's sensory processing abilities using the Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999). We also collected demographic information related to the mechanism and severity of injury. Data were analyzed descriptively, and summary statistics were used to describe the Sensory Profiles of the children in comparison to normative data. RESULTS Proportionally more children with TBI than children in the normative sample demonstrated behaviors outside of the typical range in all sections of the Sensory Profile except for oral sensory processing. CONCLUSION These findings strongly support the need to include evaluation of sensory processing in any clinical assessment of children who have sustained TBI.