UNOWA SIX DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS PILOT STUDY: SENSORY FUNCTIONING AS A DISTINCT REGULATORY CONSTRUCT IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69635/mssl.2026.2.3.51Keywords:
Sensory Functioning, Sensory Regulation, Developmental Assessment, Inclusive Education, Psychometrics, UNOWA, Humanai UNOWAAbstract
Sensory functioning is often included in developmental assessment as an auxiliary domain, although sensory regulation may directly shape attention, behavior, communication, participation, and adaptive functioning. This article examines sensory functioning as a distinct regulatory construct within a multidimensional developmental assessment model. The analysis is based on the UNOWA Six Developmental Domains pilot study, Version 2.0, conducted with 153 children aged 18–83 months. The instrument assessed five functional domains: cognitive, social, physical, sensory, and daily living skills. Each domain was scored using a Percentage Score from 0 to 100%, calculated from applicable age-based items. The sensory domain used an inverted scoring logic, where higher scores reflected greater sensory well-being.
The pilot data showed that sensory functioning behaved differently from the other developmental domains. Although the sensory domain showed a statistically significant but weak association with age, its correlation with age was substantially lower than that of the social, daily living, physical, and cognitive domains. In the interdomain correlation matrix, sensory functioning showed weak or near-zero associations with the other domains. Exploratory factor analysis further supported its distinct status: in the one-factor solution, the sensory domain had almost no loading on the general developmental factor, while in the two-factor solution it loaded strongly on a separate factor. Item analysis also indicated that the sensory domain requires refinement, with ceiling/floor effects and low item discrimination observed across the item pool.
These findings support the interpretation of sensory functioning not as a simple age-linear developmental scale, but as a regulatory profile that describes the conditions under which a child can remain organized, participate, learn, and adapt. The article argues for further differentiation of the sensory domain into subcomponents such as sensory hyperresponsivity, hyporesponsivity, sensory seeking, sensory avoidance, switching, activation, passivity, and self-regulation. The findings have implications for inclusive education, early intervention, individualized support planning, and future AI-assisted interpretation within the HumanAI UNOWA framework.
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