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Click on the questions below:
• My child's teacher told
me that my child might benefit from occupational therapy. What is
it?
• What is sensory integration?
• What is the difference between Sensory Integration
and Sensory Processing?
• How do I know if my child has a Sensory Integration
Dysfunction (DSI) now known as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?
• What are some of the symptoms of Sensory Integration
Dysfunction (DSI)?
• What are some of the diagnoses that often have
Sensory Integration Dysfunction (DSI)?
• Why does my child have difficulty falling asleep
at night?
• What should I do if I suspect that my child
has this difficulty?
• Can't they just practice?
• What happens during therapy?
• What is body awareness?
• What is the vestibular system?
• What is proprioception?
• What is sensory defensiveness?
• Why doesn’t my doctor know about sensory
processing?
• Who will pay for therapy?
My child's teacher
told me that my child might benefit from occupational therapy. What
is it?
Occupational Therapists who specialize in pediatrics are trained
to create opportunities for children to master developmental tasks
and achieve independence in their home, school, and community. A
few reasons for referral for evaluation and treatment include clumsiness,
difficulty with grasp or motor skills and difficulty playing or
socializing effectively. Direct service or consultation may be provided
by your school's therapist if your child's difficulties directly
interfere with education. Private occupational therapists, often
covered by insurance companies, focus on a greater variety of intensive
treatment interventions.
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What is Sensory Integration?
Sensory Integration is the ability to organize sensory information
for use. It is the process by which the brain processes and interprets
various sensory experiences including sight, sound, smell, touch,
movement, body awareness, and the pull of gravity. Sensory integration
is a normal phenomenon of central nervous system functioning and
is essential for providing the foundation for more complex learning
and behavior.
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What is the difference between
Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing?
Sensory processing is about defensiveness, modulation and registration.
Sensory Integration is more about the adaptive response of taking
in the sensation and then having a motor outcome like catching something
that is thrown to you or riding a bike or writing with a pencil.
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How do I know if my child has
Sensory Integration Dysfunction (DSI) now known as Sensory Processing
Disorder (SPD)?
As efficient organization of sensory information provides the foundation
for the development of functional skills, there can be many potential
outcomes that might cause a parent concern. A disruption in sensory
processing can result in sensory defensiveness (sensory seeking
or sensory avoiding behaviors), problems in self-regulation (activity
levels too high or too low, not matched for the task at hand), and
difficulties with praxis (the ability to conceive, organize and
execute skills of all kinds). Disruptions in processing sensory
information can interfere with self-care skills, language skills,
motor skills, academic skills, and social/emotional skills.
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What are some of the symptoms
of Sensory Integration Dysfunction (DSI)?
People who have difficulty with sensory processing have very obvious
symptoms. Irritability, can’t tolerate clothing, can’t
tolerate noise or certain sounds in the environment. Have difficulty
paying attention, talking and communication. Can’t tolerate
food textures or only eat a few foods. Babies don’t like being
held, can’t transition to baby foods, don’t like movement
or constantly have to be moving. Babies don’t sleep and are
highly irritable. Children can’t tolerate being with strangers,
with other children, are clumsy, are extremely neat eaters and are
very clingy to their parents. Older children can’t concentrate
in school, are constantly seeking movement or chewing on hands or
clothing. These kids are always looking for excuses to leave the
classroom, go to the nurse, have stomachaches, rock or are always
fidgeting with something in their hands.
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What are some of the diagnoses
that often have Sensory Integration Dysfunction (DSI)?
Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorders, Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attachment Disorder,
Down Syndrome, Learning Disabilities, and other childhood developmental
disabilities.
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Why does my child have difficulty
falling asleep at night?
Some children are over-aroused by the sensory information they have
received during their daily life. Auditory, visual, tactile, and
movement information that occurs throughout the day can accumulate,
making it hard for the child to calm down at the end of the day
and fall asleep. Activities that include calming input, such as
deep pressure, slow rocking, and neutral warmth can help the child
maintain the appropriate level of arousal. Sleeping in a sleeping
bag or under heavy blankets, a warm bath before bed, or a bedtime
story in a rocking chair may help your child get ready for sleep.
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What should I do if I suspect
that my child has this difficulty?
If a child is suspected of having a sensory integrative dysfunction,
an evaluation is in order. An evaluation usually consists of standardized
testing, a structured observation of play and responses to sensory
input, and an interview with the parents or caregivers.
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Can't they just practice?
We are sure that the family and teaching staff have tried to "teach"
the child skills that appear difficult. Unfortunately, unless the
child has the underlying ability to "be taught" the skill,
it will not be mastered. It is important to remember that not all
types of learning, particularly motor learning, can be mastered
by practicing. No matter how many times children practice a wrong
pattern, it won't make it right. Until they have the internal ability
to do it correctly, they will be unable to correct the problem.
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What happens during therapy?
An important component of sensory integrative therapy is the inner
drive, and motivation of the child. This plays a crucial role in
the selection of the therapeutic activities. The therapist, based
on the evaluation results, utilizes their specialized knowledge
to analyze the tasks your child needs to master for successful involvement
in life's roles. The therapist will customize the activities during
the session based on your child's needs. A sensory rich environment
will be set up with the types of activities that the child needs
in order to have more efficient processing of sensory input. This
allows the child to guide the session, within the activities that
the therapist has set-up, and therefore, capitalize on the inner
drive. This active involvement and exploration enables the individual's
nervous system to become a more efficient organizer of sensory information.
The intention of intervention is to provide the child with a physically
and emotionally environment, so that this comfortable experience
allows for the development for more functional and efficient skills.
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What is body awareness?
We all have an “ internal body map" that allows us to
know where we are, what position we are in, and how we are moving
at any given moment. This body map allows us to move without relying
on our visual system to guide each movement. It is created over
time as we develop from infancy throughout childhood, via repeated
accurate sensory inputs produced from our motion through space.
Inaccurate sensory perceptions do not allow for the creation of
accurate body maps. Children with inaccurate body maps typically
rely heavily on their visual systems and have significant difficulty
with many aspects of motor skills.
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What is the vestibular system?
This sense allows us to maintain our balance and upright posture.
It is also closely involved with the visual system, allowing us
to judge our motion in relation to the objects around us. Our vestibular
system can sometimes play tricks on us (ie: sitting in one of those
movies where you feel like you are moving when you aren't). This
sense allows us to feel secure with gravity and is a way of knowing
where we are in relation to gravity (ie: if we are upside-down or
sideways).
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What is proprioception?
This is the sense that allows us to know what position our body
parts are in. For example, without looking at them, you can tell
if your elbows or knees are bent or straight. This sense also tells
us about the force of our movements. So if we see a cup and want
to reach for it, we can judge how much force and speed we are reaching
with so we can accurately get our hand to the cup without knocking
it over or missing it. We can also tell how hard we need to hold
on to lift the cup without breaking or dropping it. You are primarily
using your proprioceptive sense when you walk up a familiar flight
of stairs in the dark and know exactly where to place your feet
and how high the steps are by the feel of the movement of your legs.
Proprioception is extremely important for body awareness and coordinated
movements.
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What is sensory defensiveness?
Sensory defensiveness is used to describe a group of over-sensitivities
to touch, vision, sound, movement and smell sensations. With the
term defensiveness, a range of behaviors is implied. These behaviors
are those that we can observe that indicate that a sensory input
is aversive.
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Why doesn’t my doctor
know about sensory processing?
The research and documentation regarding these issues have been
written up in journals that various therapists read. These findings
are not generally published in medical journals. So even though
there have been numerous studies and articles written, the doctors
usually don’t see them. Doctors in our area who have had patients
that we have treated, generally view this therapy favorably and
will refer their patients to us without hesitation.
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Who will pay for therapy?
Most insurance companies will pay for "medically necessary"
therapy. Otherwise the family will assume financial responsibility.
Our experience with this process is that the insurance company will
cover the cost of the evaluation, and then determine funding the
services from the results of the evaluation.
When you contact the office for an evaluation, how to proceed with
your insurance coverage will be explained.
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