Evaluation of sensory processing abilities following stroke using the adolescent/adult sensory profile: implications for individualized intervention

[Purpose] The present study aimed to understand characteristics of sensory processing in patients who have experienced a stroke using the previously established, self-diagnostic Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). [Subjects and Methods] Data from 180 total Korean patients who had been diagnosed as having experienced a stroke were collected and analyzed between May and August of 2015. [Results] Average scores for each sensory processing domain were as follows: low registration (32.1), sensation seeking (34.3), sensory sensitivity (36.7), and sensation avoiding (34.0). Study participants exhibited similar scores to healthy controls (data obtained from previous studies) with the following frequencies: low registration (65%), sensation seeking (77.2%), sensory sensitivity (65%), and sensation avoiding (62.2%). Significant differences were observed between control data and scores obtained for study participants in all domains except that of sensory sensitivity. [Conclusion] The results of the present study indicate that therapeutic intervention following the experience of a stroke should account for individual differences in sensory processing abilities to provide the environment most conducive to the patient’s overall cognitive and physical improvement.