Sensory Integration
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What Is Sensory Integration? Sensory integration refers to how people use the information provided by all the sensations coming from within the body and from the external environment. We usually think of the senses as separate channels of information, but they actually work together to give us a reliable picture of the world and our place in it. Your senses integrate to form a complete understanding of who you are, where you are, and what is happening around you. Because your brain uses information about sights, sounds, textures, smells, tastes, and movement in an organized way, you assign meaning to your sensory experiences, and you know how to respond and behave accordingly.
Most of us are able to integrate all of the sensory information that we constantly face, paying attention to and tolerating important sensory information and disregarding information that is less important at that moment. For individuals with autism however, this is not the case. Many people with autism have difficulties processing information taken in through the senses. |
Some children might be over-sensitive (hyper) to certain sensations, which means that just a small amount of that sensation will stimulate them. It is, therefore, very easy to become over-stimulated by that sensation, causing the individual to try to avoid it. An example would be a child who is over-sensitive to sounds, who might cover his ears when he is in a noisy classroom or hears the vacuum at home. Or a child who is over-sensitive to taste might be quite a picky eater.
Some children can also be under-sensitive (hypo) to certain sensations. This means that it takes a lot of that sensation to stimulate that person. Children who are under-sensitive to a sensation will seek out more of it in order to feel satiated. For example, a child who is under-sensitive to sounds may enjoy turning up the volume on the TV. Or a child who is under-sensitive to movement may want to be constantly on the move. An individual can have a combination of over- and under-sensitivities (over-sensitive to some things, under-sensitive to others).
The breakdown of Sensory Integration are as follows:
Sensory processing problems are commonly associated with conditions such as Autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity, A.D.H.D, Learning Disabilities, Severe and Profound Mental Retardation, and Process Schizophrenia.
Some children can also be under-sensitive (hypo) to certain sensations. This means that it takes a lot of that sensation to stimulate that person. Children who are under-sensitive to a sensation will seek out more of it in order to feel satiated. For example, a child who is under-sensitive to sounds may enjoy turning up the volume on the TV. Or a child who is under-sensitive to movement may want to be constantly on the move. An individual can have a combination of over- and under-sensitivities (over-sensitive to some things, under-sensitive to others).
The breakdown of Sensory Integration are as follows:
- Tactile Sense: the sense of touch; input from the skin receptors about touch, pressure, temperature, pain and movement of the hairs on the skin. (touch, pull, stretch)
- Vestibular Sense: the sense of movement; input from the inner ear about equilibrium, gravitational changes, movement experiences, and position in space. Rocking, swinging (behaviors of seeking to balance the vestibular sense)
- Proprioceptive Sense: the sense of "position" input from the muscles and joints about body position, weight, pressure, stretch, movement, and changes in position in space. Stomp, jump, hit, bounce. Knowing where your feet end and the floor begins.
- Auditory: input relating to sounds; one's ability to correctly perceive, discriminate, process and respond to sounds
- Oral: input relating to the mouth; one's ability to correctly perceive, discriminate, process and respond to input within the mouth (chewing, licking, biting)
- Olfactory; input relating to smell; one's ability to correctly perceive, discriminate, process and respond to different odors
- Visual; input relating to site; one's ability to correctly perceive, discriminate, process and respond to what one sees (lights and colors)
Sensory processing problems are commonly associated with conditions such as Autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity, A.D.H.D, Learning Disabilities, Severe and Profound Mental Retardation, and Process Schizophrenia.