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✧✧✧  The following is a brief synopsis of sensory integration and sensory integration therapy. For additional information on these fascinating, complex topics, please visit the “Resources” page of our website.  The sensory system includes the five classic senses - - visual, auditory, touch (tactile), smell (olfactory), and taste (gustatory) - - plus the sense of movement/pull of gravity (vestibular), and the positional sense/body awareness (proprioceptive). When the senses work properly, and in conjunction with each other, the brain and central nervous system are able to organize and interpret this information and make a meaningful response. A healthy sensory integration system enables development of higher level gross and fine motor skills, self-esteem, self control, and improved attention span. Sensory integration develops normally, for most children, in the course of ordinary childhood activities. When the process is disordered or inefficient, it is called Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). In this case, sensory information is sensed normally, but gets analyzed by the brain abnormally. Consider these examples. A visual processing deficit can cause a child to have trouble finding the words for objects he is viewing, or to be unable to find an object that he is looking directly at. The child can see the object, but his brain cannot process what he is seeing. With auditory processing deficits, the child hears what you say but the brain is unable to process the information, so it might take a few minutes’ delay for your message to "click" with the child. Other times, the auditory message becomes jumbled, resulting in an unexpected response to the auditory input. Sensory defensiveness is another common form of sensory integration disorder. Children with this condition have highly aroused nervous systems that prepare them for survival with a “fight, flight, or fright” reaction even when the sensory input is non-threatening. For example, these children can be aggressive, withdrawn, or intolerant if exposed to such routine events as brushing hair or wearing clothes with tags (tactile defensiveness), brushing teeth (oral defensiveness), walking on unstable surfaces or riding on escalators (gravitational insecurity), or hearing sounds (auditory defensiveness) that don’t bother other people. Dr. Jean Ayres, an occupational therapist, was the first to research, develop, and write about the concept of sensory integration and how it affects learning and behavior. She stated: "Good sensory processing enables all the impulses to flow easily and reach their destination quickly. Sensory integrative dysfunction (or “SPD”) is a sort of `traffic jam' in the brain. Some bits of sensory information get `tied up in traffic,' and certain parts of the brain do not get the sensory information they need to do their jobs." Since the pioneering work of Dr. Ayres, further support, theory development, and intervention strategies have come from the fields of neuropsychology, neurology, physiology, child development, and psychology.  Sensory Processing Disorder typically manifests as either an over-sensitive or under-reactive response to sensory stimuli. Some classic signs of sensory integration dysfunction are: Delays in academic achievement Delays in speech, language, or motor skills Over-sensitive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds Under-reactive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds Easily distracted Social and/or emotional problems Activity level that is unusually high or unusually low Physical clumsiness or apparent carelessness Impulsive, lacking in self control Difficulty making transitions from one situation to another Inability to unwind or calm self Poor self concept Sensory Processing Disorder is prevalent in all age and socioeconomic groups and at all intellectual levels. It is estimated that up to 30% of the general population has a sensory integration deficit, and that number climbs to 70% (according to independent research studies) in students who receive Special Education services in the school system. Sensory integration therapy is a type of occupational therapy that focuses on increasing a child's ability to tolerate a variety of sensory experiences in order to remediate sensory integration deficits. Therapists who have special training in assessment and treatment of sensory processing disorders use vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile inputs in a specially designed room to stimulate and challenge all of the senses through movement. All therapy is tailored to each child’s unique sensory profile to ensure the proper amount of stimulation. Each response to sensory stimuli enables the nervous system to process and integrate sensory input in more organized and meaningful ways, which leads to the child’s more successful interaction with the environment. Once a child’s sensory system is integrating properly, academic learning, social skills, self-esteem, and appropriate behavior will flourish. ✧✧✧  Resources.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0