Sensory Integration And Therapy

This column is designed to focus on a particular subject of interest to our buyers. We hope that it will provide insight and education into your involvement with your children/clients as well as into your buying decisions.

What is Sensory Integration?

All of the information we receive about our world comes to us through our sensory systems. Much of this input comes to us on an unconscious level. Aside from the sense of taste, smell, sight and sound, there is also the sense of touch, movement, gravity and body position. All these sensory systems have receptors that pick up information to be perceived by the brain. All of these systems work together with one another to form appropriate responses.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction:

For some children, sensory integration does not develop as efficiently as it should and a number of problems occur in learning, development or behavior. Some of the following signs may signal that such a disorder is present:

• Overly sensitive to touch, movement, sights or sounds. This may manifest as irritability or withdrawal
• Under-reactive to sensory stimulation. A child who may be oblivious to pain.
• Activity level that is unusually high or low.
• Coordination problems.
• Delays in speech, language, motor skills or academic achievement.
• Poor organization of behavior.
• Poor self concept.

Do you have children who have trouble paying attention? Interrupt or intrude on others? Wiggle, fidget and squirm? Slump or fall out of their chairs? Are unusually sensitive to touch and noise? Have writing you cannot read? Lose or misplace belongings? All these traits are common in children with sensory integration deficits, that is, children who find it difficult to organize sensory input in a way that lets them effectively interact with their environment.

What Therapy Can Do:

In therapy, a child will be guided through activities that challenge his or her ability to respond appropriately to sensory input by making organized responses. Therapy will involve activities that provide vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile stimulation and are designed specific to your child. Emphasis is placed on automatic sensory responses. Typically, a variety of activities will be used to develop abilities as opposed to specific tasks. The child will rarely be a passive recipient, but will rather be an active participant in this play-like therapy. This type of therapy is almost always fun for children. When a sensory integrative approach is successful, the child is able to automatically process complex sensory stimuli more effectively. The child will have more normal responses to stimuli and an improvement in coordination and motor planning.

What Can Parents Do?

The most important way a parent can facilitate sensory integration is by recognizing that it exists. There is no one "cookbook" for selecting the right activities for every child. Some general principles should be remembered:

• Remember ALL the senses. Holding, touching, rocking and positioning play just as important a role as sight and sound.
• Be sensitive to YOUR child's reactions.
• Look for clues from your child.
• Recognize your child's abilities.
• Foster the spirit of play.
• Involve your child in activities.

Need More Information?

For more information on Sensory Integration contact:

The Occupational/Physical Therapy Department of your local hospital or school
The American Occupational Therapy Association at 301-948-9626.
Sensory Integration International at 301-320-9986.
A Parent's Guide to Understanding Sensory Integration, Sensory Integration International. P.O.Box 9013 Torrance, CA 90508. 301-320-9986.

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