SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY

What is Sensory Processing?

Sensory processing is the ability to make sense of the everyday sensations that we experience.  Our central nervous system must be able to take in sensory information and decide what to pay attention to and what is not important.  Most children are able to process incoming sensations automatically and efficiently without thinking about it.  Our central nervous system receives information from the following peripheral sensory systems:

• Auditory
• Visual
• Tactile/proprioceptive (touch and body position and movement sense)
• Vestibular (balance and head position)
• Gustatory (taste sense)
• Olfactory (sense of smell)

What is a sensory processing disorder?

Children may present with different types of sensory processing disorders or a combination of disorders. 

Sensory Modulation Disorder:  Some children may have trouble modulating the sensations they receive.  These children rend to over respond or under respond to sensations.  For example, a child who is over responsive to sound may scream or cry when they hear a siren.  A child who is under responsive may need to stuff a lot of food into his mouth before they can feel the food in their mouth.

Sensory Discrimination Disorder  Some children have difficulty discriminating between similar and different sensory inputs.  These children will tend to have difficulty accurately interpreting the sensations they experience.  They may have trouble visually discriminating between shapes and letters or they may have trouble distinguishing between rough and smooth surfaces of an object.

Sensory Movement Based Disorder:  Some children have difficult planning out their movements in response to the sensations they experience.  These children often appear to be clumsy or may have trouble learning new motor skills.

Examples of challenges related to sensory processing difficulties:

- Difficulty transitioning between activities, environments, and people

- Disinterest in exploration of new environments

- Sleep difficulties that aren’t medically based

- Constant, non-stop movement

- Frequent temper tantrums on a daily basis

- Consistent, frequent emotional outbursts in community settings

- Fear or anxiety associated with touch and movement that is not self initiated

- Fear or anxiety associated with loud sounds

- Picky eaters

What interventions are used to treat children with sensory processing disorders?

Education regarding the nature of the sensory processing challenges is an essential part of the intervention process. The treatment environment is sensory rich including swings, climbing opportunities, moveable surfaces, and other equipment that encourage exploration and problem solving.  Sensory diets are the take home pieces of the programming that families learn to use to address challenges in multiple environments.

Getting Evaluated:

Ozaukee Therapy has expert therapists with experience in evaluating and treating sensory processing disorders.  For more information or a complete evaluation for therapy services please call: Ozaukee Therapy (262) 241-8030