Teacher Perceptions of the Impact of Sensory Integration and Processing on Student Occupational Engagement

Sensory Integration (SI) is defined as the brain's ability to organize and respond to information within the body and environment. School-aged children begin school with varying difficulties in SI and processing, which affects their social and academic performances. The field of occupational therapy (OT) promotes engagement in meaningful activities, in which going to school and participating in activities is vital to a child's development and wellbeing. The school setting is the second-largest employer of occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in the United States. Children with SI and processing difficulties have decreased participation in the classroom compared to their peers with typical sensory processing. A scoping review was conducted to investigate if elementary school students' SI and processing affects their occupational engagement in school. The aim is to further explore the barriers between SI and children's level of involvement in meaningful activities during the school day. There is currently a lack of capturing of teacher perspectives in the literature. By gathering evidence of teachers' perceptions through this project, OTPs will have additional evidence to advocate for service delivery locally, nationally, and internationally. The end goal of this project is for teachers to better understand students' sensory processing and for OTPs to understand what supports teachers need to support their classrooms.