Occupational Therapy Assistant Test Occupational Therapy Assistant Test Sensory Processing and Integration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 'sensory diet' in occupational therapy refers to:
- A nutritional plan designed to address food sensitivities
- An individualized activity plan providing the sensory input a person needs to stay regulated throughout the day (Correct answer)
- A diet plan that eliminates foods with strong sensory properties
- A schedule for reducing sensory input in the environment
Correct answer: An individualized activity plan providing the sensory input a person needs to stay regulated throughout the day
A sensory diet is an individualized program of sensory activities designed to meet a person's neurological needs and support self-regulation throughout the day.
Question 2: Sensory modulation disorder (SMD) is BEST defined as:
- A deficit in motor planning that results in clumsy movement
- The inability to discriminate between two points of tactile stimulation
- Difficulty regulating and organizing the degree, intensity, and nature of responses to sensory input (Correct answer)
- A complete absence of sensory perception in one modality
Correct answer: Difficulty regulating and organizing the degree, intensity, and nature of responses to sensory input
SMD involves difficulty calibrating responses to sensory input, causing responses that are too intense, too weak, or inconsistent relative to the degree of stimulation.
Question 3: Which intervention approach is used by OTAs trained in sensory integration to provide controlled sensory input and challenge adaptive responses?
- Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT)
- Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) intervention (Correct answer)
- Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT)
- Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP)
Correct answer: Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) intervention
ASI intervention involves providing controlled sensory experiences through play to elicit adaptive responses and improve sensory processing and integration.
Question 4: The Sensory Profile (Dunn) assessment tool measures:
- Standardized motor performance benchmarks
- A child's or adult's sensory processing patterns and how they affect daily life (Correct answer)
- Reflex integration and primitive reflex status
- Visual perceptual skills and spatial reasoning
Correct answer: A child's or adult's sensory processing patterns and how they affect daily life
The Sensory Profile is a standardized caregiver/self-report tool that identifies an individual's sensory processing tendencies and their functional impact.
Question 5: An OTA is treating a 7-year-old with sensory processing difficulties who becomes extremely upset during unexpected transitions. The MOST appropriate environmental modification would be:
- Eliminate all transition times from the school schedule
- Provide consistent verbal and visual warnings before transitions occur (Correct answer)
- Restrict the child to a single room to reduce transitions
- Increase the frequency of transitions to desensitize the child
Correct answer: Provide consistent verbal and visual warnings before transitions occur
Predictable warnings before transitions reduce sensory and emotional dysregulation by giving the child's nervous system time to prepare for change.
Question 6: Deep pressure touch, such as that provided by a weighted vest or compression clothing, is thought to support sensory regulation primarily through which sensory system?
- Vestibular system
- Auditory system
- Proprioceptive and tactile systems (Correct answer)
- Visual system
Correct answer: Proprioceptive and tactile systems
Deep pressure activates proprioceptors and deep tactile receptors, producing an organizing, calming effect on the nervous system.
Occupational Therapy Assistant Test Occupational Therapy Assistant Test Sensory Processing and Integration 2
A 'sensory diet' in occupational therapy refers to: