Page Last Updated: May 15, 2026

Sensory Processing Measure-2 (SPM-2)🔗

Table Namencl_cg_spm2__inf (Infant version); ncl_cg_spm2__tod (Toddler version)
ConstructSensory Processing/Integration
Study VisitsV03 (Infant); V05 (Toddler)
Administration
  • Child-specific: Yes
  • Respondent: Primary Caregiver
  • Method: Self-administered remotely (12 min estimated duration)
Quality Control Periodic review of data capture to ensure that items are being fully completed and spot checks on scoring to assure algorithms are being correctly employed.
Data Warning ▸

Addition of Response Option "Decline to answer"
The response option "Decline to answer" was added on November 8, 2024 to allow participants to not answer any questions they choose. However, "Decline to answer" is not a response option on the published form and was not used in the reference sample from which the standard scores were derived. It is possible that participants chose “Decline to Answer” rather than “never” for behaviors that have never been seen (for example items related to reacting to food texture for an infant who has not been exposed to solids).

Please review the Known Issues & Pending Updates page for updates that may affect data use.

Instrument Details🔗

The Sensory Processing Measure – Infant/Toddler (SPM-2) is designed to assess whether a child’s nervous system integrates visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory information from the body and environment efficiently and effectively. Effective sensory processing contributes to the development of emotion regulation, motor skills, and social relatedness. Difficulties in the integration of sensory information can hinder the development of these skills and higher-level functions such as learning to plan and organize behaviors. The sensory systems serve as foundation for increasingly more complex behaviors and are critical to development.

This questionnaire asks about the ways the child sensory systems contribute to daily functioning. The caregiver selects whether their child’s behavior during the past month never, occasionally, frequently, or always resembles the behavior described. Seven sensory domains are assessed as well as functions related to ideas/planning and social relatedness.

HBCD Modification Details ▸

For HBCD, the response option ‘Decline to answer’ was added to all questions.

Scoring Procedures ▸

The proprietary reference sample tables from which the SPM-2 summary scores were derived are available from Western Psychological Services (Parham et al. 2021). These items contain imputed scores based on tables from the publisher. At this time, released data does not specify the exact items that have been imputed.

References🔗

Parham, L. D., Ecker, C. L., Kuhaneck, H., Henry, D. A., & Glennon, T. J. (2021). Sensory Processing Measure, Second Edition (SPM-2) [Manual]. Torrance, CA: Western Psychological Services.