SENSORY INTEGRATION OUR CHILDREN Pat Hall, MS, OTR Hancock Madison Shelby Educational Services

Sensory Integration An unconscious process Gives meaning to and sorts information coming from senses Allows us to act or react purposefully Foundation for academic learning, social interaction, and behavior

Our Senses Sight– Visual Hearing- Auditory Touch- Tactile Taste- Gustatory Smell- Olfactory Change in head position- Vestibular Movement of muscles- Proprioceptive Gut reaction- Visceral

Why is this important to me? Problem is invisible, easily misunderstood as an unruly or willful child, less well tolerated socially, and always changing 5-15% of the children in the US have enough difficulty with integration of sensory information that it causes them to have learning difficulties. Children may be below average, average or above average intelligence Difficulties may be academic, behavioral or social Medical problems may be greater than peers and interfere with their daily lives.

What causes SI difficulties? We know more about what to do about SI problems than what causes them. Like traffic jam on a road causing gridlock or slowing of traffic. Injury to the brain may occur before, during, or after birth. Illness Heredity Environmental toxins Cultural deprivation Doesn’t get worse, but more apparent as demands of life increase

Common Signs Difficulty with any or many of the following: Attending and concentrating Distractibility Organizing thoughts and ideas Problem solving Starting and finishing tasks Learning to read and write Copying from board or book Hyperactivity Clumsiness Low muscle tone-poor posture or continually resting head on hand/arm/desk Decreased stamina Poor self esteem Difficulty with peer relationships

What is at the bottom of all this? It is the brain’s inability to properly organize the multitude of information continually coming at us from our senses and then to create appropriate action(s) and reaction(s) while trying to get a task done.

Why should I care about how, why, or in what order Sensory Integration develops? If the child’s brain can’t organize the information that it sees or hears properly, your job at school and home are going to be: Harder Create difficulty with success in school Everyone is going to be miserable

Three foundation senses Vestibular Change in head position such as swinging or rocking Proprioceptive Pressure to joints when jumping on a trampoline or riding a bike Tactile Touching or feeling a variety of textures

Infant to 1 Yr. Eye movement Posture Balance Muscle tone Gravitational security Sucking Eating Parent-infant bond Tactile comfort

1-3 Yr Beginning to understand where body is in space Motor planning to use both sides of body to get desired object or toy Pay attention to details around them Develop emotional stability

3-6 Yrs. Eye hand coordination Visual perception such as depth perception Creating steps for purposeful action

6-8 Yrs. Self-esteem Self-control Self-confidence Concentrate Organize Abstract thought and reasoning Specialization of each side of the brain and body Learning at school

To be a successful student, every child must have adequate Eye movement to read and copy text Posture to sit quietly and not move too much or fall out of chair Balance to stand in line without bumping into others Muscle tone to play at recess and at PE class Gravitation security to climb or swing on playground Sucking to drink from straw or water fountain Eating without being overly sloppy or picky about food texture or taste Parent-child bond for feeling secure Tactile comfort to allow clothing to touch body and not disturb learning or accept unexpected touch or bumping in line or on the bus Infant to 1 Yr. Eye movement Posture Balance Muscle tone Gravitational security Sucking Eating Parent-infant bond Tactile comfort

Hot Button Issues that may act as a trigger for outburst Transitions from one activity or location to another Change in routine Loaded sensory times: riding the bus, getting on and off bus, passing in hall, recess, PE, cafeteria, or convocation. Homework or difficulty with any particular academic area: handwriting, reading, math, etc.

When assisting with Sensory Intervention or Sensory Diet Vigorous Activity must be followed by gradually slowing down the child’s activity level. Leave time to calm down from intense jumping to moderately active bouncing or rolling on a ball then calming activity like body soc or listening to music in a quiet place. Watch for undesirable physical reaction Don’t force any one type of physical activity- allow for variety of options and choice making.

Danger Signals Seizures-avoid strobe lights Flushed/red face or pale face Nausea Unconsciousness Hyper-excitement (child does not calm down within minutes after returning to class) Withdrawal from environment, staff or peers Destructive approach to environment

If We Need A Quick Fix, What do I do? Antiseptic Bouncing- child is not being punished, but assist them in leaving the classroom when upset or to satisfy the need to move. “Just walk and don’t talk”-let child know they can talk only if they want and adult will only answer questions, not try to solve the problem. Home Base-have a safe place in school or home where students can go to calm down and dis-stress; the place is not a time out room or for used for punishment. Choose item(s) from the Heavy Work Checklist-see list enclosed.

Additional ideas – see handouts Other Strategies Additional selected activities for movement, working against gravity, deep pressure, sound, touch, oral needs, and Heavy Work Resources for books and supplies