There is no single definitive “SPD test” that produces a diagnosis on its own. Screening usually starts with a symptom checklist parents or caregivers fill out at home, and a formal evaluation is completed by an occupational therapist using standardized tools. From there, the OT builds a picture of how your child’s nervous system is handling everyday input — and what kind of support would help.

Looking for the adult version of this test? We cover adult self-screening, the AASH and SPM-2 adult forms, and what a formal evaluation looks like later in life.

What Is Sensory Processing Disorder?

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) happens when the brain has trouble organizing and responding to information coming in through the senses — sound, touch, sight, movement, taste, and smell. Instead of filtering and prioritizing that input automatically, the brain over-responds, under-responds, or both, depending on the sense involved.

SPD isn’t officially listed as its own diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR, but that hasn’t stopped occupational therapists, pediatricians, and researchers from treating it as a real, assessable pattern that often shows meaningful overlap with autism and ADHD — which is why a proper evaluation usually looks at the whole picture, not sensory symptoms alone.

Clinicians generally group SPD into three patterns:

  1. Sensory Modulation Disorder (SMD) — trouble regulating the intensity of a response: over-responsive (hypersensitive), under-responsive (hyposensitive), or sensory-seeking.
  2. Sensory-Based Motor Disorder (SBMD) — motor planning and coordination challenges rooted in how sensory input is processed, showing up as clumsiness or poor balance.
  3. Sensory Discrimination Disorder (SDD) — difficulty telling similar sensations apart, like distinguishing textures, sounds, or where on the body a touch happened.

What is Sensory Processing Disorder? | Kati Morton

Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist for Children

This checklist is a starting point for noticing patterns, not a diagnostic tool. If several items apply consistently — not just once or twice — it may be worth bringing this list to your pediatrician or an occupational therapist.

Over-responsive (hypersensitive)

  • Reacts strongly to clothing tags, seams, or certain fabrics — Yes / No
  • Covers ears or becomes distressed in loud or noisy environments — Yes / No
  • Avoids messy play (sand, finger paint, glue) — Yes / No
  • Gags or refuses foods based on texture rather than taste — Yes / No
  • Reacts strongly to light touch, such as a gentle tap or hug — Yes / No

Under-responsive (hyposensitive)

  • Doesn’t seem to notice pain, temperature, or minor injuries — Yes / No
  • Seems unaware when spoken to or when their name is called — Yes / No
  • Has a high tolerance for spicy, extreme, or unusual food textures — Yes / No
  • Appears “in their own world” in busy or stimulating settings — Yes / No

Sensory-seeking

  • Craves spinning, jumping, crashing into things, or rough play — Yes / No
  • Touches everything and everyone, sometimes too hard — Yes / No
  • Seeks out loud noises, bright lights, or strong smells — Yes / No
  • Chews on non-food items (shirt collars, pencils, toys) — Yes / No

Motor and coordination

  • Appears clumsy or bumps into furniture and people often — Yes / No
  • Struggles with tasks like buttoning, using scissors, or tying shoes — Yes / No
  • Has poor balance or avoids playground equipment like swings or slides — Yes / No
  • Uses more or less force than a task requires (heavy-handed writing, breaking toys) — Yes / No

A “yes” on a few items doesn’t mean your child has SPD — most children show some of these behaviors occasionally. What matters clinically is the number of consistent “yes” answers across categories and whether they’re interfering with daily life at home, at school, or socially. This checklist is a screening aid only. It is not a diagnostic tool, and it doesn’t replace an evaluation by a qualified occupational therapist.

Sensory Overload Test: Signs Your Child Is in Sensory Overload

Sensory overload is different from SPD itself — it’s what happens in the moment when incoming sensory input exceeds what the nervous system can process. It can happen to any child, but it happens more often, and more intensely, in children with SPD. There isn’t a formal “sensory overload test,” but these signs tend to show up in the minutes before or during a meltdown:

  • Sudden crying, screaming, or shutting down with no clear trigger
  • Covering ears, eyes, or hiding the face
  • Trying to escape or leave the environment abruptly
  • Increased stimming or repetitive movements (rocking, flapping, pacing)
  • Physical signs: flushed face, rapid breathing, or a racing heart
  • Aggression or self-injurious behavior that seems out of proportion to the situation
  • Going unusually quiet or “shutting down” instead of escalating

If these patterns show up repeatedly in the same kinds of environments — crowded stores, assemblies, birthday parties — that pattern itself is useful information for an occupational therapist building a sensory profile.

Can You Take an SPD Test Online?

Online SPD quizzes and symptom checklists are everywhere, and they can be a useful first step — they help you organize your observations and decide whether it’s worth pursuing a formal evaluation. What they can’t do is diagnose anything. An online screener has no way to observe your child’s actual responses to sensory input, compare them to age-based norms, or rule out other explanations for the same behaviors.

Think of an online test the same way you’d think of this checklist: a way to notice a pattern, not a substitute for a comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation. If an online screener flags several consistent concerns, that’s the signal to schedule an evaluation — not a stopping point.

How Is Sensory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?

Diagnosing — or more precisely, clinically documenting — SPD is a multi-step process led by an occupational therapist:

  1. Clinical interview. The OT gathers developmental history, current concerns, and information about the environments where sensory issues show up most (home, school, therapy, social settings).
  2. Parent and caregiver report. You’ll describe specific behaviors, triggers, and coping strategies you’ve already tried. This context shapes which standardized tools the OT chooses.
  3. Standardized assessment. The OT administers one or more validated tools. Two of the most widely used are:
    • Sensory Profile 2 (Pearson) — a caregiver, teacher, and self-report questionnaire that measures sensory processing patterns and how they affect participation in everyday activities.
    • Sensory Processing Measure, Second Edition (SPM-2) (WPS) — assesses sensory processing, praxis, and social participation across home, school, and community settings, with forms for different raters.
  4. Structured observation. The OT watches how your child responds to real sensory tasks — handling different textures, moving through space, reacting to sound — rather than relying on questionnaires alone.
  5. Results and planning. The OT synthesizes everything into a report identifying the dominant pattern (over-responsive, under-responsive, sensory-seeking, or motor-based) and recommends next steps.

What Happens After an SPD Diagnosis?

An evaluation is the starting point, not the finish line. Depending on what the OT finds, next steps typically include occupational therapy with a sensory integration focus, environmental changes at home and school (quiet spaces, noise-canceling headphones, weighted items), and a sensory diet — a planned set of activities that gives your child the sensory input they need to stay regulated.

When sensory processing challenges are contributing to behavior that’s getting in the way of your child’s daily life, ABA therapy and sensory issues often go hand in hand: ABA can address the behavioral side (communication, coping skills, routines) while OT addresses the sensory side directly. Many families end up coordinating both types of support at once.

Treating Children for Sensory Processing Disorder

Where to Get Sensory Processing Disorder Testing Near You (Maryland & Virginia)

If you’re searching for sensory processing disorder testing near you, a few starting points make the search more efficient:

  • Ask your pediatrician for a referral to an occupational therapist, ideally one with training in sensory integration.
  • Look for SIPT-certified OTs or clinicians affiliated with organizations like the STAR Institute, which specialize in sensory integration.
  • Check autism and developmental centers near you — many already offer sensory evaluation alongside other developmental assessments.
  • Ask about telehealth for the interview and questionnaire portions of an evaluation; hands-on observation still requires an in-person visit.

Move Up ABA works with families across Maryland and Virginia whose children have sensory processing challenges alongside autism, and we can help point you toward evaluation resources even before therapy starts.

Is SPD the Same as Autism?

No. They overlap often, but they’re not the same thing. Autism is defined by differences in social communication and interaction plus restricted or repetitive behaviors — and sensory differences are actually part of the diagnostic criteria for autism itself. 

SPD, by contrast, is specifically about how the nervous system processes sensory input, without the social-communication piece. A child can have SPD without autism, autism without notable sensory symptoms, or — most commonly — both together. For a closer look at where the two overlap and diverge (including ADHD), see our guide to autism, ADHD, and sensory issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official test for sensory processing disorder? 

No. There’s no single lab test, scan, or standardized diagnostic tool that confirms SPD on its own. Occupational therapists combine standardized questionnaires, clinical observation, and caregiver reports to document sensory processing patterns.

Who can diagnose SPD? 

Occupational therapists — particularly those trained in sensory integration — are the professionals who evaluate and document SPD. Pediatricians, psychologists, and developmental specialists often refer families to an OT after noticing sensory-related concerns during a broader evaluation.

Is sensory processing disorder in the DSM-5? 

No. SPD is not a standalone diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR, and clinicians continue to debate whether it should be added. Sensory symptoms are, however, included as part of the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder.

At what age can SPD be tested? 

Sensory processing concerns can be assessed starting in infancy, and most standardized tools cover early childhood through the school years (some, like the SPM-2, extend all the way into adulthood). Many children are first evaluated between ages 2 and 7, when sensory-related behaviors tend to become noticeable in daily routines and group settings like preschool.

Does insurance cover an OT sensory evaluation? 

It depends on your specific plan, the diagnosis code used, and your state — there’s no universal answer. Contact your insurance provider directly, or ask the OT’s office to run a benefits check before scheduling, so you know what to expect before the first appointment.

What causes sensory processing disorder? 

The exact cause isn’t fully understood. Researchers are exploring genetic factors, since SPD appears to run in some families, along with prenatal and birth-related factors. No single cause has been confirmed, and it’s likely a combination of factors rather than one identifiable trigger.

Can a child outgrow sensory processing disorder? 

Not exactly, though presentation often changes with age. Occupational therapy and a maturing nervous system can significantly reduce how much sensory symptoms interfere with daily life, but many people continue to notice sensory differences into adolescence and adulthood — often managed through coping strategies rather than something that fully disappears.

Getting Started

Move Up ABA works with children across Maryland and Virginia who are navigating sensory processing challenges, often alongside an autism diagnosis. Our ABA therapy services incorporate sensory considerations from the first assessment onward, and if your child’s checklist results or a recent OT evaluation point toward needing more support at home, ABA therapy at home builds coping strategies and daily routines directly into the environments where sensory challenges show up most. Contact Move Up ABA to talk through what evaluation and support could look like for your child.

 

Sources:

  • STAR Institute for Sensory Processing — https://www.spdstar.org/basic/understanding-sensory-processing-disorder
  • Sensory Profile 2, Pearson Assessments — https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Behavior/Adaptive/Sensory-Profile-2/p/100000822.html
  • Sensory Processing Measure, Second Edition (SPM-2), WPS — https://www.wpspublish.com/spm-2
  • Sensory Processing Disorder and Delivery Type, PMC — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9180069/
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD — https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/index.html
  • American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on SPD (referenced via CHADD) — https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/new-research-in-sensory-processing-dysfunction/