Clinical assessment of sensory organization

In a lab session, we will use a clinical screening tool to assess sensory organization. The literature which describes this tool is:

Shumway-Cook, A., & Horak, F.B. (1986). Assessing the influence of sensory interaction on balance: Suggestions from the field. Physical Therapy, 66, 1548-1550.

Procedure:

Regard the amplitude and frequency of sway as a measure of postural stability. Note changes in this measure as you observe a subject under the following conditions:

1. Have one subject stand still with eyes open and note amplitude and frequency of postural sway.
2. Close eyes and see if this changes the amplitude or frequency of sway. If closing the eyes results in increased postural sway, this implies dominance of the _____ system.
3. With eyes open, stand on soft mats and note effect on sway. If this increases sway, we suspect dominance of the _____ system.
4. If one is available, have the person wear the visual conflict dome to see how well he or she deals with conflicting information from the visual or somatosensory systems.