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Occupational Therapy is a blend of art and science concerned with the "occupation" of daily living. Occupation is a term that is most often reserved for employment or on the job skills. The “job” of childhood includes play, self-care, school performance and social interaction. Therapy is designed to seem like play to the children; however, the therapist draws on training in specialty areas to provide challenging therapeutic activities aimed at improving the child’s everyday functioning.
Occupational Therapy at Sensory Pathways:
Our occupational therapists provide a skilled service that identifies, through evaluation, the key components that may cause a child to have difficulty in the home, school and community settings. The OT also identifies the patient's strengths and builds on them to encourage success and increase function. Through specialized treatment, we strive to improve such components which may include but are not limited to:
- fine motor skills
- upper body strength and coordination
- balance
- self-help skills, such as feeding, dressing, and bathing
- attention difficulties
- sensory integration/processing disorders
- personal behavior modulation
- following directions and problem solving
- feelings of positive self-worth
What is Sensory Integration/Sensory Processing Disorder?
Just as a computer is made to process data, the human brain is made to process sensory data into meaningful information. The brain is designed to be able to process classroom sounds into instructions, written numbers into equations and even sights along a roadway into traffic signs.
Examples of sensory processing include:
- ability to process sounds into language, music, or the wail of a siren
- ability to process sights into words, pictures or faces of people you know
- ability to process touch into the soft feel of a silky blouse, the itch of a garment tag on the back of your neck, or the light touch of a bug on your arm
- ability to process tastes and textures in the mouth into the sweet taste of ice cream, the bumpy texture of tapioca, the tingle of a stick of cinnamon gum, or the sour crisp of a pickle
- ability to process moving through space into the gentle lull of a boat ride, the plummet of a roller coaster dip, or the alert to danger when stumbling
- ability to process smells and feeling associated with the aroma of hot bread, the fragrance of a flower, or the stench of a boys locker room
Sensory Integration Disorders
Sensory integration/processing disorders represent a group of developmental disabilities that emerge when the brain consistently fails in its ability to analyze and interpret sensory data. They include:
- Developmental dyspraxia-a disorder of the ability to coordinate movements of the body
- Sensory Defensiveness- a disorder of the ability to assess the intensity of the sensory input causing an over-reaction
- Various other disorders of mood, attention, and activity level
Sensory integration/processing disorders impact learning and social behavior. When left untreated, the behaviors of children with sensory integration/processing disorders tend to show associated disorders such as attention deficit, learning disability, behavior problems, dyslexia, and other perceptual phenomena.
For example, when the ability to process sounds is impaired, the child might be able to hear, but not necessarily understand speech and other environmental sounds. Following instructions may be difficult, as well as developing intelligible speech.
When the ability to process sights is impaired, although the child is able to see, they may not necessarily be able to recognize common objects and associate them with their function. At times these children may not be able to judge how close they are to objects and frequently stumble or trip.
When the ability to process touch is impaired, although the child may be able to appreciate touch to some degree, they might not necessarily understand how to touch. Grip may be too hard, too light, or too rough. Broken toys and difficulties with safe play may be problematic.
When the ability to process taste or even touch inside the mouth is impaired, although the child eats, typically they are very picky eaters. Since healthy nutrition impacts mood, activity level, and attention, learning will be affected as well.
Children with sensory integration/processing disorders can be helped through treatment that is provided by a therapist who is trained in the use of specialized equipment and techniques needed to address the underlying sensory processing issues.
Modulation Disorders
Disorders of modulation are first seen in infancy and early childhood. The disorders are characterized by:
an inability to integrate behavior in terms of physiological, sensory, attentional, motor or affective processes;
coupled with
an inability to organize a calm, alert, psycho-emotionally positive state.
The operational definition includes a distinct behavioral pattern coupled with a sensory, sensory-motor or organizational processing difficulty. The classification suggests two major types, each with 2 distinct subtypes.
Poorly modulated responses may show themselves in the following domains:
- Physiological or state repertoire
- Gross motor activity
- Fine motor activity
- Attentional organization
- Affective organization
The child with a modulation disorder will demonstrate both a sensory, sensory-motor, or processing difficulty and one or more behavioral symptoms.
Processing difficulties that may be demonstrated include:
- Over or under-reactivity to high or low-pitched noises
- Over or under-reactivity to new or striking visual images
- Tactile defensiveness
- Oral defensiveness
- Under-reactivity to touch or pain
- Gravitational insecurity
- Under or over-reactivity to odors
- Under or over-reactivity to temperature
- Poor muscle tone and muscle stability
- Qualitative deficits in motor planning
- Qualitative deficits in ability to modify motor activity
- Qualitative deficits in fine motor skills
- Qualitative deficits in articulation capacity
- Qualitative deficits in visual-spatial processing capacities
- Qualitative deficits in capacity to attend and focus
Behavioral difficulties that may be demonstrated include:
Type 1: Hypersensitive
Subtype A: Fearful and Cautious
Behavioral patterns include excessive cautiousness, inhibition and/or fearfulness. In early infancy these patterns are manifested by a restricted range of exploration and assertive, dislike of changes in routine, and a tendency to be frightened and clinging in new situations. The young, fearful and cautious child's behavior is characterized by excessive fears and/or worries and by shyness in new experiences.
Occasionally, the child behaves impulsively when overloaded. The child tends to be easily upset, cannot soothe himself readily, and cannot quickly recover from frustration or disappointment.
Caregiver patterns that enhance flexibility and assertiveness in fearful and cautious children involve empathy paired with supportive encouragement to explore new experiences; and gentle, but firm limits. Inconsistent and overprotective caregiver patterns intensify these children's difficulties.
Subtype B: Negative and Defiant
Behavioral patterns are negativistic, stubborn, controlling and defiant. The child often does the opposite of what is requested or expected. The child has difficulty in making transitions, and prefers repetition, absence of change or change at a slow pace. Infants tend to be fussy, difficult and resistant to changes. Preschoolers tend to be negative, angry, defiant and stubborn, as well as compulsive and perfectionist-like. However, these children can demonstrate joyful, flexible behavior at certain times.
Caregiver patterns that enhance flexibility involve soothing support of slow, gradual change and avoidance of power struggles. Caregiver patterns that are intrusive, over-stimulating or punitive tend to intensify these children's negative and defiant patterns.
Type 2: Under-reactive
Subtype A: Withdrawn and Difficult to Engage
Behavioral patterns include seeming disinterest in exploring relationships or even challenging games or objects. Children may appear apathetic, easily exhausted and withdrawn. High affective tone and saliency are required to attract their interest, attention, and emotional engagement. Infants may appear delayed or depressed. Preschoolers may show diminished verbal dialogue. Behavior and play may only present a limited range of ideas.
Caregiver patterns that provide intense interactive input and foster initiative tend to help under-reactive, withdrawn children engage. In contrast, caregiver patterns that are low-key, "laid back", or "depressive" tend to intensify these children's patterns of withdrawal.
Subtype B: Self-Absorbed
Behavioral patterns of self-absorbed children include creativity and imagination, combined with a tendency for the child to tune into his or her own sensations, thoughts and emotions, rather than being tuned into and attentive to communications from other people. Infants may become interested in objects through solitary exploration rather than in the context of interaction. Children may appear inattentive, easily distracted or preoccupied, especially when not pulled into a task or interaction.
Preschoolers tend to escape into fantasy in the presence of external challenges such as competition with a peer or a demanding preschool activity.
Caregiver patterns that tune in to the child's communications and encourage a good balance between fantasy and reality help these children remain grounded in external reality.
Modifying the caregiver style to match the need of the child is an important key to successful treatment and parenting of the child with a modulation disorder. It is also helpful to remember that the neurobehavior being demonstrated is not really so much of a choice, but rather a biochemical predisposition to respond in a particular behavioral pattern.
Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder - FAQ
Sensory Integration Dysfunction; now called Sensory Processing Disorder is an inability to pull together and understand (or process) sensory information from the environment. This includes the ability to understand sensory information that arises from one's own body (such as from muscles and joints), as well as understanding sensory information that arises from other people (such as language) and objects in the environment.
Everyone experiences difficulties in pulling together this type of information at one time or another, particularly during periods of growth, change, or stress. However, people who have Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder experience these difficulties consistently throughout most of their day. These difficulties impact their performance at home, at work, at school and at play.
How Common Is It?
Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder, is estimated to impact 15 to 25% of our children in each classroom according to some sources. This means that approximately 1 in every 4 children suffers some type of learning disability that can be explained by sensory processing deficits.
Are There Any Early Warning Signs?
Early signs of Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder may include over or under sensitivity to touch, movement, sights or sounds; unusually high or low activity level; poorly organized behavior; delays in speech, language or motor skills; poor play skills; social detachment; or delays in acquiring developmental skills.
What are the Most Common Symptoms?
Symptoms of Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder sometimes include several of these behaviors that occur persistently:
- Persistent negative behaviors
- Difficulties with motor control
- Persistent oppositional behaviors
- Motor planning deficits
- Hyperactivity or under-activity
- Fine motor difficulties
- Frequent irritability or moodiness
- Oral-motor difficulties that impact
- Hypersensitivity to touch, sights, food intake or articulation sounds, smells
or tastes
- Visual perceptual difficulties
- Poor attention
- Visual spatial deficits
- Clumsiness
- Organizational deficits
- Language deficits
- Attention deficit
What Can Be Done?
Treatment is usually only provided for moderate to severe instances of Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder when the disorder impacts two or more aspects of a person's life.
Treatment usually consists of:
- A home program of regularly scheduled sensory events (commonly referred to as a "sensory diet") that is prescribed by a trained professional
- Direct services by a trained professional
Although the outcomes are generally more successful when treatment is provided during childhood, sensory integration treatment can also be provided for adults. Sensory integration treatment requires the combined effects of a trained professional and the availability of specialized equipment. Specially trained Occupational, Physical, and Speech therapists are often consulted for treatment of Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder.
Where Can I Get More Information?
To learn more about Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder, you can obtain a copy of any of the following books:
- “The Out-Of-Sync Child” by Carol Kranowitz
publisher: The Berkley Publishing Group, New York, NY
- “Unlocking the Mysteries of Sensory Dysfunction” by Elizabeth Anderson and Pauline Emmons
publisher: Future Horizons, Arlington, TX
- “Sensory Integration and the Child” by A. Jean Ayres
publisher:
Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, CA
For more information on solutions for sensory motor learning problems, call us and ask to speak with an Occupational Therapist. Occupational Therapists work with children who have sensory motor learning problems. Occupational Therapy can help children with sensory motor issues process sensory information more efficiently.
We are a multidisciplinary pediatric facility. We specialize in providing treatment to children who are challenged by the developmental demands of home, school, or social environments. Our team of therapists joins together in a unique method of care that helps to mobilize resources to meet the needs of our clients and their families.
The majority of the children seen at our facility have some sort of developmental delay. This means that they may have mild to moderate delays that impact development of gross motor, fine motor, language, visual perceptual, sensory-integrative, and/or social-emotional development. As a group the children tend to have a great deal of difficulty with motor skills, organizing tasks in a logical fashion, sticking with their plans, following instructions, and interpreting the details of pictures or symbols associated with instructions.
We offer many different programs to meet your child's developmental and cognitive needs:
Sensory Integration Treatment
Occupational Therapy Evaluation
Therapeutic Exercises
Hand Function Assessment
Fine Motor Skill Development
Visual Perceptual Evaluation
Perceptual Motor Development
Upper Body Strengthening
Developmental Stimulation
Teacher Consultation
Source information credited to http://www.kidtherapy.com
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