Review article Systematic review of sensory integration therapy for individuals with disabilities: Single case design studies H.M. Leong *, Mark Carter, Jennifer Stephenson Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Australia Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................ 335 2. Method ............................................................................................ 336 2.1. Study screen and selection ...................................................................... 336 2.2. Coding ....................................................................................... 336 2.3. Interrater reliability ............................................................................ 342 3. Results ............................................................................................ 342 3.1. Participants and treatment inclusion criteria ........................................................ 342 3.2. Outcomes and forms of assessment ............................................................... 342 3.3. Treatment and procedural integrity ............................................................... 342 3.4. Process scores and structure ..................................................................... 342 3.5. Study designs and quality ....................................................................... 342 3.6. Claimed results ................................................................................ 345 4. Discussion ......................................................................................... 345 5. Conclusion ......................................................................................... 349 References ......................................................................................... 349 Research in Developmental Disabilities 47 (2015) 334–351 ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 10 December 2014 Received in revised form 22 September 2015 Accepted 23 September 2015 Available online Keywords: Sensory integration therapy Outcome studies Developmental disabilities Meta-analysis Evidence-based practice ABSTRACT Sensory integration therapy (SIT) is a controversial intervention that is widely used for people with disabilities. Systematic analysis was conducted on the outcomes of 17 single case design studies on sensory integration therapy for people with, or at-risk of, a developmental or learning disability, disorder or delay. An assessment of the quality of methodology of the studies found most used weak designs and poor methodology, with a tendency for higher quality studies to produce negative results. Based on limited comparative evidence, functional analysis-based interventions for challenging behavior were more effective that SIT. Overall the studies do not provide convincing evidence for the efficacy of sensory integration therapy. Given the findings of the present review and other recent analyses it is advised that the use of SIT be limited to experimental contexts. Issues with the studies and possible improvements for future research are discussed including the need to employ designs that allow for adequate demonstration of experimental control. ß 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Institute for Early Childhood, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia. E-mail address: danleohanming@gmail.com (H.M. Leong). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Research in Developmental Disabilities http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2015.09.022 0891-4222/ß 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.