THE TEST OF SENSORY FUNCTIONS IN INFANTS - TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY FOR INFANTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS

Objective. The Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI) is one tool that occupational therapists use to identify sensory processing disor ders among infants. However, data on the reliability of TSFI scores wi th infants with developmental delays are lacking. Method. Test-retest reliabilities for TSFI total test and subtest scores were determined w ith a sample of 26 infants with developmental delays. All infants were between 10 months and 18 months of age. The test-retest interval rang ed from 5 days to 10 days. Magnitudes of difference between test and r etest scores and percentages of agreement among the TSFI classificatio n categories (i.e., normal, at-risk, deficient) also were determined t o examine relationships between test scores. Results. Reliability for the total test score was borderline, with an intraclass correlation co efficient of .78. Reliability coefficients for the five subtests range d from .54 to .74. Percentage of agreement for the total test classifi cation categories between test and retest was adequate (81%). Percenta ges of agreement for subtest classification categories were low, rangi ng from 58% to 68%. Conclusion. TSFI scores should be interpreted caut iously and used only in conjunction with findings from additional deve lopmental assessments and clinical observations for infants with devel opmental delays.