Sensory Integration refers to the way your child’s nervous system receives and interprets sensory information from his body and the world around him. We are all familiar with the five traditional senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. In addition to these important senses, there are two other senses, the vestibular sense and the proprioceptive sense, which are essential in helping us register and understand incoming information.

The vestibular system provides information about balance and movement. When your child goes down a slide, rides a swing, twirls around, and/or performs a forward roll, the vestibular system gives continuous feedback to your child’s brain. The proprioceptive system provides the brain with information as to where the muscles and joints are positioned in relation to the rest of the body. When your child brings a spoon to his mouth, puts his arms through his coat sleeve, and swings a baseball bat, the proprioceptive system constantly monitors the situation and provides feedback when “correction” is needed.

It is important to remember that each child’s body interprets sensory information in a different way. One child may love wild rides, enjoy spicy foods, but hates touching goopy textures. The next child may love the deep pressure of a massage, but can’t handle the noise in a restaurant, or the smell of gasoline at the pump. Children, as do adults, interpret sound, sight, movement, deep pressure, taste, and smells differently.

In any given moment, your child’s central nervous system is focusing, screening, and interpreting information with many senses all at once. For example, when your child is eating lunch at school, he must use his sense of sight (as well as attention) to focus on getting the food into his mouth. Simultaneously, he must also use his sense of hearing to filter out the background noise to facilitate communication with a peer sitting next to him. Your child must incorporate his sense of proprioception to gauge where his mouth is in relation to the position of his food and sense that his body is sitting on his chair. His sense of touch will process the texture of his food while it is chewed. Your child’s senses of smell and taste also play an important role in this process as your child smells the aroma of the food he is eating and connects that information with the task he receives while eating. If any of these senses gets over-stimulated or under-stimulated in the process of the meal, the food could end up on the floor!

If your child’s central nervous system is constantly being over-stimulated or under-stimulated, your child may be experiencing Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID). When a child is not processing sensory information appropriately, there may be difficulties functioning at home, at school, or in a variety of social settings. A child with Sensory Integrative Dysfunction may have troubles in the following areas: gross motor development, fine motor development, speech-language development, social skills, and attention. Consequently, when a child is focused on meeting his sensory needs, it may be difficult for him to achieve his academic, motor, and social potential.

Sensory Integrative Treatment is needed when sensory avoidant behaviors and sensory seeking behaviors interfere with your child’s functioning at home or school.

The child who is predominantly sensory avoidant is labeled as a “shy child” or as the “cautious one”. When a child is bombarded with too much sensory input, he may “shut down” and may watch his peer play instead of being an active participant. This type of child feels the safest in his home environment, where there is greater predictability and typically decreased sensory input. Group settings and noisy places are usually the most overwhelming for these types of children. The noise, the lights, and the bumping against other people can overload the child. The sensory avoidant child will typically cling to an adult to get the security that he needs.

A child who is predominantly sensory seeking is labeled as “wild” and “inattentive”. At home and at school, he has trouble sitting still and constantly needs to seek out all types of input. He will often go from one activity to the next, trying to experience as much stimulation as possible. This child may intentionally bump into his peers or often seek a tight hug. On the playground, he is “on the go” and will often compromise his own safety. In a noisy setting, the sensory seeking child may become even more “rowdy” and distracted.

At times, is it helpful to look at each sense separately to determine whether a child is having difficulties processing sensory information. Often a child will display sensory avoidant behaviors in some senses while showing sensory seeking behaviors in others. The following chart shows descriptions of behaviors often noted when children are either sensory avoidant or sensory seeking.

At SPS, Inc., our Occupational Therapists are trained in sensory integration and work with children who are experiencing difficulty with sensory processing. By providing suspended equipment and an array of therapeutic tools and toys, your child can seek out intensive sensory information. The role of our Occupational Therapists is to facilitate exploration of the various therapeutic equipment in a safe, productive, non-threatening manner. It is through this exploration that the child’s nervous system becomes more organized. Thus, your child can become more ready to receive sensory stimulation and to process it efficiently and accurately in his day-to-day world. Once your child is able to process his sensory environment appropriately, he should be able to focus on and master speech-language development, motor movement, attention issues, and social skills.

Your child’s unique sensory needs can be determined through an evaluation process. Individualized goals will be set for intervention based on your child’s sensory profile and on the needs specified in the family consultation. The Occupational Therapists at SPS, Inc. are trained to target specific sensory needs and goals to help your child progress towards the final goal of processing information more accurately and being able to plan appropriate responses. At SPS, we strive to empower children with the tools they need for a happy, healthy life.