SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Occupational Therapy
Systematic Review of Sensory-Based Interventions for Children and Youth(2015-2024)
Provisionally accepted
Aimee Piller1*
Jessica McHugh Conlin2Tara J Glennon3
Lauren Andelin4Kelly Auld-Wright5Krysti Teng6Talicia Tarver4- 1Piller Child Development, LLC, Phoenix, United States
- 2Healthy 360, Sergant Bluff, United States
- 3Quinnipiac University, Hamden, United States
- 4Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, United States
- 5Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont, United States
- 6UCLA Lab School, Los Angeles, United States
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Introduction: Children with developmental disorders often benefit from interventions supporting participation, including sensory interventions, which should be grounded and informed by evidence. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate and summarize current evidence on the effectiveness of sensory-based interventions (SBIs) on functional outcomes to guide interventions. Methods: Searches were performed in Medline (OVID), CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, OTSeeker, Cochrane Reviews, and ERIC. Inclusion criteria included the following: published in English between May 2015 and January 2024; participants aged 0-21 years with sensory integration/processing challenges; level I and II studies as classified by Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model; functional outcomes indicated. The review followed the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Results: Twenty-one studies were included. Strong strength of evidence supported use of deep pressure tactile input and caregiver training on the use of sensory strategies. Moderate strength of evidence supported that alternative seating did not improve attention. Additionally moderate strength of evidence supported targeting a variety of sensory systems is more effective than targeting only one system. There is a lack of evidence on the impact of sensory environmental modifications. Discussion: SBIs may be useful for improving functional outcomes and participation. Further research is needed to clarify effectiveness for specific outcomes.
Keywords: sensory, systematic review, Sensory-based intervention, sensory processing, developmental disorder
Received: 07 Oct 2025; Accepted: 31 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Piller, McHugh Conlin, Glennon, Andelin, Auld-Wright, Teng and Tarver. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Aimee Piller, aimee.piller@pillerchilddevelopment.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.