The Southern California Sensory Integration Tests (Ayres) and the Bender Gestalt: a correlative study

The Southern California Sensory Integration Tests (SCSIT) and the Bender Gestalt are two measures used to evaluate children with suspected perceptual-motor deficits. Since these tests are used primarily by two groups of professionals, occupational therapists and psychologists, it was thought that studying the correlations between these two tests might help psychologists to know which children needed to be referred to an occupational therapist for sensory integrative evaluation, and might help the occupational therapist to understand the psychologist's use of the Bender Gestalt. The use of the Bender by the occupational therapist as a screening device for sensory integrative dysfunction was also investigated. The SCSIT and Bender were given to 26 children with suspected sensory integrative dysfunction. Scores on the Bender were found to be predictive of grouped scores on the Form and Space Perception and Praxis-Tactile sections of the SCSIT, but not of the Postural and Bilateral Integration section. It was concluded that when the Bender is used as a screening device for sensory integrative dysfunction, some measure of postural mechanisms must be included. Correlations between the Bender and individual tests of the SCSIT were also studied.