ABSTRACT

Objective: This study aimed to develop an evaluation tool for the sensory processing ability of school children based on their school activities. Methods: The following steps were involved in the development of the tool: 1) a literature review to develop questions related to sensory processing skills in school, 2) interviews with experts, i.e., elementary school teachers (3 persons) and occupational therapists (4 persons), to develop preliminary questions, and 3) an examination of the suitability of the questions by experts (elementary school teachers (24 persons) and occupational therapists (19 persons)). Results: Through the literature review, 179 items were collected, and in the preliminary item composition stage, 93 items were deleted and 23 items were added to form 105 items. In the composition stage of the main items, 87 items were composed by deleting 19 items and adding 1 item when the content validity index value was satisfied at a rate of 70-80% depending on the stage. The results are as follows: For the development of the sensory evaluation tool, a total of 87 items were developed: 45 items related to general learning activity; 17 related to art, music, and physical activity; and 25 related to meal and break-time activities. Conclusion: This study is significant because a tool was developed to evaluate the sensory processing ability of school children in Korea based on their school activities. Therefore, it is expected to be gainfully employed in educational and clinical settings to evaluate behaviors related to the difficulty of sensory processing in school children.