Effectiveness of a Sensory-Enriched Early Intervention Group Program for Children With Developmental Disabilities.

OBJECTIVE The study's objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Interdisciplinary Sensory-Enriched Early Intervention (ISEEI) group program for children with developmental delays. METHOD We conducted a retrospective chart review of 63 children ages 18-36 mo who participated in ISEEI. We evaluated participants with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (Bayley-III) and the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP) at enrollment and after 3-9 mo. We conducted a paired t test to examine changes in the Bayley-III between pre- and posttests. RESULTS At enrollment, 70% of children presented atypical scores in two or more areas of sensory processing in the ITSP. Results revealed that children with sensory processing difficulties demonstrated significant improvement in all areas of development except fine motor skills; children without sensory processing difficulties showed significant improvement in language and cognition. CONCLUSION The ISEEI group program is an effective method to ameliorate developmental delays.