Age as a factor in sensory integration function in Taiwanese children

OBJECTIVE: Sensory integration progresses along a normal developmental sequence. However, few studies have explored how age difference affects the way sensory integration functions in Taiwanese children as they develop. Therefore, this study aims to pinpoint the role of age in sensory integration. METHOD: A purposive sampling plan was employed. The study population comprised 1,000 Chinese children aged 36 to 131 months (mean = 74.48 months, standard deviation = 25.69 months). Subjects were scored on seven subsets of the Test of Sensory Integration Function (TSIF). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify differences between four age groups (ages 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, and 9–10 years), in the categories of the TSIF. RESULTS: ANOVA revealed that age is a significant factor in each of the seven tasks of sensory integration associated with various stages of development. The effect of age was significant in all four groups for the subscale of Bilateral Integration Sequences. The function of sensory integration for the children aged 5–8 years did not produce statistically significant results for the subscale of Postural Movement, Sensory Discrimination, Sensory Seeking, or Attention and Activity. For the subscale of Sensory Modulation and Emotional Behavior, the effect of age was significant in only group 1 (children aged 3–4 years) and group 2 (children aged 5–6 years). CONCLUSION: There was significant difference between group 1 and group 2 for seven categories. Significant differences were contributed by the differences from group 1 (3–4 years) and group 4 (9–10 years) in five subscales (Postural Movement, Bilateral Integration Sequences, Sensory Discrimination, Sensory Seeking, and Attention and Activity). There were three developmental trends in the seven categories of the TSIF.