I find that thinking of it (SID) as a thermostat malfunction helps me to help him. Since he has trouble responding to stimulation in his environment, I help him out by organizing his day and anticipating his reactions so that he will stay on even-keel.

To be sure, not all children with SI dysfunction need to enter the special education system. Many kids with mild sensory issues and no other co-existing conditions do just fine with a bit of understanding, extra support, a sensory diet, and a few simple accommodations. You may be able to work all of this out informally with your child's school. Quite often, though, a child with SI dysfunction needs more help to thrive in school. If she qualifies for special education services, your child will receive an IEP, created cooperatively by you and the school, that spells out how the school will meet your child's unique needs.

Occupational Therapy is a profession that has emphasized the understanding of human behavior from a neurobiological viewpoint. Research has led us to a better understanding of what is taking place in the brain and how we can effect it.

Occupational therapy intervention is targeted towards those areas that are interfering with the child's ability to function. OT is concerned with helping each person to be as independent as possible in daily life activities.

Sensory integration dysfunction (DSI) is not classified as a learning disability, but it can certainly hamper a child's ability to learn. To illustrate, here are stories about two preschoolers whom I teach in my music and movement room.

People often use the word behavior to mean bad behavior. Often the child does not know any other way to tell us. It is our business to find out what the behavior is communicating.

General information site.

My daily SI problems include an unusually high activity level (associated with ADHD), gross motor and some fine motor skills problems, over sensitivity to touch, hypersensitive smell and difficulties with certain colors and bright light or sunshine.

New York had just come down with a task force report that stated in no uncertain terms that the type of treatment you provide, sensory integration, has no documented empirical evidence for children with autism.

Young children who have feeding issues related to sensory disorder, tactile defensiveness, and poor motor coordination can benefit from stimulation activities at home by parents.

SI dysfunction is often subtle and can cause a bewildering variety of symptoms. Because their central nervous systems are ineffective in processing sensory information, children with this hidden difficulty have a hard time functioning in daily life.

If the child is distracted and annoyed by sounds, sights, movement (or lack of), touch, smells and tastes (among other sensations) how could these irritants not interfere with his/her education?

The emotional part of our neurology is embedded in the limbic system, as is our balance and sensory reactions. Isn't it amazing that spinning, cross body arm movements, touch, can effect emotion, speech, perception?

Website for the book of the same name.

Do any of your children or students have problems learning? Do they exhibit a number of the following behaviors?

A transitional recreational program available to children with ASD from ages 3-12 years. Children work individually with a university student volunteer to build on sensory experiences, to enhance the child's social skills and to have FUN!

Engaging this child in sensory activities on a frequent, regular basis seemed to help him to remain engaged, focused, and in control more often. When this child does get disorganized, these activities help him to find himself again.

The sensory diet, a term coined by OT Patricia Wilbarger, is a carefully designed, personalized activity schedule that provides the sensory input a person's nervous system needs to stay focused and organized throughout the day. A person whose nervous system is on "high trigger" will need more calming input, while someone who is more "sluggish" will need more arousing input to "jazz" up her nervous system. Infants, young children, teens, and adults can all benefit from a well-designed sensory diet.

Evidence of abnormal perceptual experiences has come, over many years, from people with autism themselves. They repeatedly comment that their tactile, auditory and visual experiences are, in some way, different to those of most people.

Sensory integration is an innate neurobiological process and refers to the integration and interpretation of sensory stimulation from the environment by the brain, and focuses primarily on three basic senses--tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive.

Although adults are generally able to control their environment by making decisions about the sights, smells, and sounds that surround them, as well as the activities that they engage in, children rarely have the "luxury" of avoiding uncomfortable sensory stimuli in this way. In a crowded, activity-filled classroom, there is often no opportunity to escape the noise and confusion. Activities such as finger painting, sculpting with clay, or dissecting a frog are planned for the entire class to participate in, and frequently, the student's performance is rated based on the successful completion of these tasks. It is important to talk with your child and his teacher to determine what activities and situations may be presenting challenges in the classroom and in other environments, and to help to provide a solution. There is much that can be done to help a child with sensory integration dysfunction!

SI is the process by which the nervous system receives, organizes, files, and integrates sensory information in order to make an appropriate response to a particular situation.

General information site.

Sensory Integration is geared to reduce sensory disturbances in three areas, which are called whole body senses: the tactile senses, proprioceptive senses and vestibular senses.

Motor Planning, Clothing, Food, Self-Care Skills, Muscle Tone, Temperatures, Children's Behaviors

Sensory integration issues in children include oversensitivity and undersensitivity to touch, taste, smell, sound, or sight, and/or to movement sensations, unusual activity levels, and problems with motor coordination.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction is the inability of the brain to correctly process information brought in by the senses.

Sensory experiences include touch, movement, body awareness, sight, sound, and the pull of gravity. The process of the brain organizing and interpreting this information is called sensory integration.

The Ayres Clinic

Sensory integration is a neurological process, which occurs in all of us. It allows us to take in sensory information, sort it, shape it and then use the information to help us interact with our environment with ease and comfort.

Sensory integration treatment has yet to be proven to be effective for all children with psychosocial, learning and motor problems. It merits further study from educators seeking to provide appropriate education for special education students.

Parents and professionals are advised to look at the pattern of behaviors and the big picture of how the problems interfere with the child's function in his or her play, physical and emotional development, and ability to develop independence.

Each sense works with the others to form a composite picture of who we are physically, where we are, and what is going on around us. Sensory modulation is a neurological function that is responsible for producing this composite picture.

The purpose of this sensory processing disorder checklist is to help parents and professionals who interact with children become educated about particular signs of sensory processing dysfunction. It is not to be used as the absolute diagnostic criteria for labeling children with sensory processing disorders. But rather, as an educational tool and checklist for your own knowledge. Professionals who can diagnose this disorder have their own tools in addition to checklists to observe and test for sensory integration dysfunction.

When a child has a sensory integration disorder, information from the environment and one's own senses are not organized well in the brain. This results in problems in processing information and behaving appropriately for the task at hand.

SI Dysfunction is a neurological problem which affects behavior and learning. Not psychostimulants, but a good sensory diet may be a major component in treating the child with an attention problem.

Inside you will find Articles, Information, Games and Activities about your child's growth and development.

Toothbrushing, Bathing, Going to Bed, Haircutting, Clothing, Shopping, Potty Training

A teacher and/or parent can learn to recognize signs that a child may be having sensory processing difficulties. Then, the teacher can initiate an evaluation for DSI, so the child may eventually receive appropriate therapy