The incidence of sensory modulation dysfunction in anxiety disordered children: A pilot study

The purpose of this study was to explore the incidence of Sensory Modulation Dysfunction in children diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The pilot study identified thirteen children currently being treated for anxiety.; A Short Sensory Profile was completed by thirteen parents whose child was identified as anxious. The Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale was also administered to each child to validate an anxiety diagnosis.; The results revealed typical sensory processing for a majority of the sample; however, there was an incidence of single category processing deficits isolating probable or definite sensory processing difficulties for many of the children. Further research is necessary to examine the relationship of sensory modulation disorder with anxiety. This pilot study identified a need to continue to provide empirical evidence to further enhance assessment tools and promote critical thinking to expand the body of knowledge surrounding anxiety and sensory modulation disorders.