The Spiral Foundation is dedicated to expanding the body of research on sensory processing. Our primary goal is to provide documentation that supports the efficacy of sensory integration intervention. Our program includes numerous in-house research projects as well as support for graduate student research. We also collaborate with nationally known researchers, such as Dr. Lucy Jane Miller of the KID Foundation and Colorado Children's Hospital, and with other research facilities, including Thomas Jefferson University, Pediatric Therapy Network of Torrance, California, and the University of Southern California.

Over 30 studies have been done that provide some evidence of efficacy of sensory integration treatment. However, a randomized control study, which is the hallmark of evidence-based practice, has yet to occur. Toward this end, the five-year goal of our research program, Building Blocks to Efficacy, is to conduct such a study in collaboration with other facilities across the country. This kind of large-scale project will be extremely important for parents and professionals who are faced with increasing demands for current objective data that demonstrates the efficacy of sensory integration intervention. The first step in this process is to design research that supports the inclusion of this diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Physicians (DSM V). Click here for more details about our Building Blocks to Efficacy program.