{"h1":"What is the Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2)?","faq":[{"a":"No. The SP-2 is a structured questionnaire that describes how your child responds to everyday sensory information. It is one part of a fuller picture and is interpreted by a qualified clinician — it does not, on its own, give a diagnosis.","q":"Is the Sensory Profile 2 a diagnosis?"},{"a":"Familiar adults complete it — usually parents or carers, and sometimes teachers using a school companion version. A trained professional then interprets the responses alongside observation and other assessments.","q":"Who completes the Sensory Profile 2?"},{"a":"The SP-2 family of questionnaires covers children from birth through to around 14 years, with different versions suited to infants and toddlers, older children, and the school setting.","q":"What age range does the SP-2 cover?"},{"a":"It looks at how a child processes input across the senses — hearing, vision, touch, movement, body position, and taste and smell — and describes patterns such as seeking, avoiding, being sensitive, or being slow to notice sensations.","q":"What does the SP-2 actually look at?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-sensory-profile-2-sp-2-and-what-does-it-assess","title":"What is the Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2), and what does it assess?","entity":{"key":"sp2","kind":"instrument","name":"Sensory Profile 2","slug":"sp-2"},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Definition","value":"definition"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Measure","value":"measure"},{"kind":"route","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"assessments","label":"Assessments"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-sensory-processing-assessed","title":"How is Sensory Processing assessed?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"at-what-age-is-the-sp-2-developmental-assessment-used-for-a-child","title":"At What Age Is the SP-2 Used for a Child?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-my-child-have-a-sp-2-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","title":"Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2) assessment for your child"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-sensory-responses-assessed","title":"How is Sensory Responses assessed?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-the-sp-2-compare-with-the-abilityscore-developmental-assessment","title":"How does the SP-2 compare with the AbilityScore developmental assessment?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-is-the-sp-2-indicated-and-what-are-its-strengths-and-limits-in-early-childhood","title":"SP-2 Indications, Strengths and Limits in Early Childhood"}],"summary":"The Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2) is a clinician-administered questionnaire, completed by parents, carers or teachers, that describes how a child takes in and responds to everyday sensory information — sound, sight, touch, movement, taste and smell. Covering children from birth to around 14 years, it identifies recognisable patterns such as seeking, avoiding, sensitivity and slow registration across daily settings. It is not a diagnosis but a structured way to understand how a child experiences the world, so support can be tailored to them.","answer_md":"*Why does your child cover their ears at the school assembly, or seek out spinning and crashing play? The Sensory Profile 2 helps make sense of these everyday moments.*\n\n## In short\nThe **Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2)** is a clinician-administered questionnaire that helps describe how a child takes in and responds to everyday sensory information — sounds, sights, touch, movement, taste and smell. Completed by parents, carers or teachers and interpreted by a qualified professional, it captures a child's sensory patterns across daily life: home, school and play. It is not a diagnosis or a pass-fail test — it is a structured way of understanding *how* your child experiences the world, so support can be tailored to them.\n\n## What the SP-2 assesses\nThe SP-2 is a family of standardised questionnaires covering children from birth through to around 14 years, with versions for different ages and settings (including an infant/toddler form and a school companion completed by teachers). A familiar adult answers questions about how often the child responds in certain ways to everyday sensory experiences.\n\nIt looks at sensory processing across the senses — auditory (hearing), visual, tactile (touch), movement, body position, and oral (taste and smell) — and describes recognisable patterns in how a child responds. For example, some children **seek** lots of movement and input, some **avoid** or are overwhelmed by it, some are highly **sensitive** and notice everything, and some are slow to **register** sensations and may seem not to notice. None of these patterns is 'good' or 'bad' — they simply explain why a child might find a noisy classroom hard, dislike certain clothing textures, or constantly want to jump and spin. This understanding helps therapists and families adapt the environment and daily routines so the child can be calm, comfortable and ready to learn.\n\n## When it is used\nAn occupational therapist may suggest the SP-2 when sensory responses seem to affect a child's comfort, attention, play or daily routines — such as mealtimes, dressing, sleep or settling at school. It is one piece of a fuller developmental picture, used alongside observation and other assessments, never on its own.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care, never from an app or form alone. Our occupational therapists may use tools such as the [Sensory Profile 2](/sp-2) alongside hands-on observation, then build an individualised plan that may draw on [occupational therapy](/occupational-therapy) and sensory-friendly strategies for home and school.\n\n## Trusted sources\nThe American Occupational Therapy Association and ASHA on sensory processing and assessment in children; WHO Nurturing Care Framework on supporting early development across everyday settings; the American Academy of Pediatrics and HealthyChildren on understanding children's individual differences.\n\n**Next step —** If your child's sensory responses are affecting daily comfort, play or learning, book an occupational therapy assessment to understand their unique sensory profile and start the right support.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-the-sensory-profile-2-sp-2-and-what-does-it-assess","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-the-sensory-profile-2-sp-2-and-what-does-it-assess","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"assessments","label":"Assessments"}],"meta_title":"Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2): What It Assesses","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Notice patterns gently — keep a simple note of which sounds, textures or activities calm your child and which unsettle them. Small changes, like softer seams in clothing or a quiet corner, can make everyday moments easier while you seek guidance.","published_at":"2026-06-10T14:12:00.219358+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"at-what-age-is-the-sp-2-developmental-assessment-used-for-a-child","title":"At What Age Is the SP-2 Used for a Child?","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Understand the subject","total":1},{"key":"assess","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"should-my-child-have-a-sp-2-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve","title":"Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2) assessment for your child","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-is-the-sp-2-indicated-and-what-are-its-strengths-and-limits-in-early-childhood","title":"SP-2 Indications, Strengths and Limits in Early Childhood","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-the-sp-2-compare-with-the-abilityscore-developmental-assessment","title":"How does the SP-2 compare with the AbilityScore developmental assessment?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-sensory-processing-assessed","title":"How is Sensory Processing assessed?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-sensory-responses-assessed","title":"How is Sensory Responses assessed?","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Understand assessment","total":5}],"what_to_watch":"Covering ears at loud sounds, distress with certain clothing textures or food, constant seeking of movement and crashing play, seeming not to notice sensations, or finding noisy or busy settings overwhelming during daily routines like mealtimes, dressing or school.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.asha.org","label":"ASHA — sensory and developmental assessment in children"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"HealthyChildren (AAP) — understanding children's individual differences"},{"url":"https://nurturing-care.org","label":"WHO Nurturing Care Framework — supporting development across daily settings"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T14:12:00.219358+00:00","meta_description":"The Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2) is a clinician-administered questionnaire describing how a child responds to everyday sensory input across home, school and pl","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}