What it is
The Sensory Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ), developed by Grace Baranek and colleagues at the University of North Carolina (now University of Southern California), is a caregiver-report instrument designed specifically to measure sensory processing patterns in young children with autism and developmental disabilities. Unlike the Sensory Profile and SPM, which were standardised primarily on typically developing populations, the SEQ was built from the ground up with autism in mind.
The SEQ exists in multiple versions. Version 1 (Baranek, 1999) was a 43-item instrument. Version 2.1 expanded the measure and added caregiver strategy questions. The current research version, the SEQ 3.0 (Baranek, 2009), has 105 items and measures four sensory response patterns across multiple sensory modalities and contexts.
What it measures
The SEQ captures sensory responses organised into distinct behavioural patterns:
- Hyporesponsiveness (HYPO): absent or diminished response to sensory stimuli — for example, not reacting when their name is called, or failing to notice pain.
- Hyperresponsiveness (HYPER): exaggerated or aversive responses — for example, distress at certain textures or refusing new foods.
- Sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviours (SIRS): active pursuit of or fascination with sensory input — for example, intense visual inspection of objects, repetitive touching.
- Enhanced perception (EP) (SEQ 3.0 only): heightened perceptual ability, such as noticing very quiet sounds or detecting fine visual details.
Critically, the SEQ assesses these patterns across both social and nonsocial contexts — a distinction that has proved important in autism research. Baranek et al. (2006) found that hyporesponsiveness in both social and nonsocial contexts was particularly characteristic of the autism group, while hyperresponsiveness was shared with other developmental disabilities.
The SEQ 2.1 additionally asks caregivers whether they attempt to change the child’s behaviour in each situation (part b) and what strategies they use (part c), providing qualitative data about caregiver responses to sensory features.
Who it’s for
Children aged approximately 5–80 months (Version 1) and 2–12 years (Version 3.0). Designed specifically for children with or at risk of autism and developmental disabilities. Completed by the child’s primary caregiver.
How it works
Caregivers rate the frequency of sensory behaviours on a 5-point Likert scale. Administration takes 10–15 minutes. Scores are summed to produce subscale scores for each sensory pattern (HYPO, HYPER, SIRS, and in the 3.0, EP) and a total score. The SEQ is a research instrument and is not commercially published in the same way as the SP-2 or SPM-2.
Strengths
- Designed for autism. The SEQ was developed specifically to characterise sensory features in autistic children, giving it ecological validity and content relevance that instruments standardised on typically developing populations may lack.
- Distinguishes between sensory patterns clearly. Unlike some instruments that conflate hypo- and hyperresponsiveness within the same subscale (a known issue with the Short Sensory Profile’s “Underresponsive/Seeks Sensation” subscale), the SEQ separates these patterns.
- Social vs. nonsocial distinction is a unique and valuable feature. This allows identification of whether a child’s sensory responses differ depending on the social context — clinically useful information.
- Good internal consistency (α = .80) and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = .92) for the total score (Little et al., 2011).
- Discriminative validity is well established: the SEQ can differentiate autistic children from those with other developmental disabilities and from typically developing children (Baranek et al., 2006).
- The SEQ 3.0’s four-factor structure (HYPO, HYPER, SIRS, EP) was supported by confirmatory factor analysis in a large national sample (Ausderau et al., 2014).
Limitations
- The SEQ is primarily a research instrument and is not commercially published or widely available for clinical use in the way the SP-2 and SPM-2 are.
- It covers a younger age range than the SP-2 or SPM-2. There is no adolescent or adult version.
- Like other caregiver-report instruments, it is subject to informant bias.
- Interoception is not specifically assessed, though some items may touch on aspects of internal sensation (e.g., pain responsiveness).
- No validated Dutch version exists.
- The normative/comparison data comes from US populations; cross-cultural validation is limited. Spanish and Mandarin Chinese translations are in development.
Availability and language versions
The SEQ is available for research use through the INSPIRE lab (formerly at UNC, now at USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy). It is not commercially published. Translations into Spanish and Mandarin are reported to be in progress. No Dutch version exists.
Relationship to other instruments
The SEQ fills a specific niche: it was designed for autism populations where the SP and SPM were not. Williams et al. (2018) and other researchers have recommended it as a preferred instrument for autism-specific sensory research because it avoids the subscale conflation issues seen in the Short Sensory Profile and provides cleaner measurement of distinct sensory patterns. However, its limited age range and non-commercial status mean it is typically used alongside rather than instead of the SP-2 or SPM-2 in clinical practice.
Key sources
- Baranek, G.T., David, F.J., Poe, M.D., Stone, W.L. & Watson, L.R. (2006). Sensory Experiences Questionnaire: discriminating sensory features in young children with autism, developmental delays, and typical development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(6), 591–601. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01546.x
- Little, L.M., Freuler, A.C., Houser, M.B., Guckian, L., Carbine, K., David, F.J. & Baranek, G.T. (2011). Psychometric validation of the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(2), 207–210. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2011.000844
- Ausderau, K.K., Sideris, J., Furlong, M., Little, L.M., Bulluck, J. & Baranek, G.T. (2014). National survey of sensory features in children with ASD: factor structure of the Sensory Experience Questionnaire (3.0). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 915–925. doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1945-1