In the process of translating assessment tools from one language to another, researchers often run the risk of altering the intended meaning of the test items, and consequently affecting the validity of the assessment tool. In this study, the accuracy of a Hebrew translation of the Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999) was validated. A multi-step process, based on back-translation and the bilingual method was undertaken to examine whether the Hebrew translation was linguistically equivalent to the original Sensory Profile. Quantitative and qualitative measures were used to detect and explain inconsistencies in the translation. The analysis of the back-translation revealed that the discrepancies found in a number of items stemmed from inaccurate translation or back-translation, erroneous substitution, omission, or addition of words/phrases, and from substitution of words/phrases because there was no equivalent in the Hebrew language. Of the 59 back-translated items, which were not linguistically equivalent to the original Sensory Profile items, only 12 items generated inconsistent responses by the bilingual parents. Overall, the responses of the bilingual parents to the Hebrew and the English version were inconsistent in 26 of the 125 Sensory Profile items. The coefficient alpha values in all sections of the Hebrew version (except for section N) were above.70, indicating a good overall reliability. Based on proposed criteria, results indicate that the Hebrew translation of the Sensory Profile is accurate. Inconsistencies found in a number of items may relate to connotation effect, language effect, and measurement errors.

This study investigated whether a relation exists between attachment and sensory modulation in young children. Participants were 68 children ages 3-6 yr recruited through the local community. Caregivers were asked to complete a standardized behavioral inventory of sensory modulation patterns, and parent-child interactions were observed in their home. The evaluator categorized these interactions on the basis of items related to attachment security and dependency. Results revealed modest correlations between attachment and sensory modulation: rs(66)=.28, p=.02. The capacity to predict sensory modulation function by attachment characteristics and the capacity to predict attachment characteristics by sensory modulation function was significant but small (p<.05). These findings supporting a relation between attachment and sensory modulation should be considered when assessing and planning treatment of children with problems in one or both of these areas.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which patterns of response of typical children aged 3 to 10 in Israel, as reported in the Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999), were similar to typical children in the United States. The Sensory Profile is a caregiver questionnaire designed to assess sensory processing abilities. A translated Hebrew version of the Sensory Profile was completed by parents of 714 typically developing children who were recruited from across Israel. The mean scores of the Israeli children were compared to the published mean scores of the American children at the section and factor level to determine whether the scoring system of the Sensory Profile would be applicable for Israeli children. The findings revealed that, in some sections and factor clusters, the scores of Israeli children were lower than the scores of the American children across all ages. Although the Israeli children scored lower, overall, their scores were within the established range of typical performance. Initial support for the application of the scoring system of the Sensory Profile in Israel is suggested. Due to the nature of the sample of Israeli children, future studies are recommended with a national representative sample and with specific disability groups to further validate the clinical use of the Sensory Profile in Israel.