SP-2 vs the AbilityScore® developmental assessment

Wondering whether the Sensory Profile 2 and the AbilityScore® tell you the same thing about your child? They answer two different — and complementary — questions.

In short

The Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2) is a focused questionnaire that maps how your child responds to everyday sensory experiences — sound, touch, movement, sights and textures. The AbilityScore® is a broader, clinician-administered structured assessment that looks across many areas of your child's development to set a personalised baseline and plan. They are not rivals: the SP-2 zooms in on sensory patterns, while the AbilityScore® gives the wider developmental picture, and the two are often used together.

How the two compare

Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2)

• A standardised caregiver-and-teacher questionnaire, commonly used by occupational therapists.
• Focuses specifically on sensory processing — how your child seeks, avoids, registers or is sensitive to sensory input.
• Helps explain behaviours like covering ears at loud sounds, disliking certain food textures, or constant movement.
• Gives a snapshot of sensory patterns in daily settings such as home and nursery.

AbilityScore®

• A clinician-administered structured assessment used across Pinnacle Blooms Network.
• Looks across developmental domains — communication, motor, social-emotional, play, daily living and more — not sensory alone.
• Measures your child against their own baseline, so progress can be tracked over time.
• Turns observation into a practical, individualised therapy plan.

The simplest way to think of it: the SP-2 is a detailed lens on one domain (sensory); the AbilityScore® is the wide-angle view that places sensory findings alongside everything else. A clinician may use SP-2 results within the broader AbilityScore®-informed picture to shape, for example, an occupational therapy plan.

When each helps

If your main concern is sensory — meltdowns at busy places, fussiness with clothing or food, seeking lots of spinning or crashing — the SP-2 adds valuable depth. If you're seeking an overall understanding of where your child is across development and what support would help most, the AbilityScore® is the natural starting point, with the SP-2 layered in where useful.

The Pinnacle way

A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under the care of a qualified clinician — never from an online form or a single questionnaire. Our AbilityScore® is a clinician-administered structured assessment, drawing on 2.5 billion+ data points and 25 million+ therapy sessions across 70+ centres, so your child's plan is built around their baseline. Learn how the measure works: what the AbilityScore is and how it's calculated.

Trusted sources

AOTA/ASHA-aligned guidance on sensory processing and standardised developmental assessment; CDC and HealthyChildren (AAP) resources on developmental monitoring and milestones; WHO framework on child development and functioning.

Next step — Get the full picture for your child. Book an AbilityScore assessment with a Pinnacle clinician, who can advise whether an SP-2 adds useful detail.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.