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Research on the Efficacy of Sensory Integration Therapy: Past, Present and Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Han M. Leong  and
Mark Carter
Han M. Leong
Affiliation:
Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Mark Carter*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Research on the efficacy of sensory integration therapy (SIT) is addressed in this article. Initially, past key reviews of intervention studies until 1994 are considered. Subsequently, more recent studies from 1994 until 2007 are examined. Consistent with numerous previous reviews, no robust evidence supporting the efficacy of SIT was found. Alternative and more parsimonious explanations for purported effects of SIT are considered. In light of the accumulated lack of evidence for the effectiveness of SIT, continued use of the technique outside of research contexts does not appear to be justified.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 32 , Issue 1: A Scientific Approach to Special Education , April 2008 , pp. 83 - 99
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 2008

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