Occupational Therapists help people of every age, who are
struggling to accomplish everyday tasks and activities, like sleeping, eating,
bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, playing with toys or other children,
participating in school, working, getting along with other people, getting
around the home and community, and developing attention & concentration,
problem solving, and coping skills.
Occupational therapists are knowledgeable about stages of development
and life transitions as well as how the brain and body interact to safely and successfully
perform these everyday tasks. Sensory Integration
is a specialized area of Occupational therapy that helps to understand more
about how the brain and body process information from inside and around the
body and how disruptions in this neurophysiological process can impact
development and daily function at school, work or home.
People have 7 senses, not 5: Taste, Touch, Smell, Hearing,
Vision, and Vestibular (sense of balance and movement) and Proprioception
(sense of position). These 7 senses work
together to help us do all activities throughout the day. Occupational Therapists certified in sensory
integration, observe people doing activities to infer and understand how the 7
senses are working and which sensory systems may be causing disruptions in
function. There may be motor based
problems, problems discriminating sensory information, or problems with
over-responding or under-responding to sensory stimuli. There is much research validating that
sensory integration exists and that Occupational Therapy with a sensory
integration approach is effective.
Further research is needed, and outcomes of therapy are unique to each
individual client. That said there are
some general things that people of all ages can do to enhance development and
optimize function.
Tips for Living:
Input to the joints and muscles (propropception) as well as
heavy touch (deep touch pressure) are generally calming. Infants may enjoy being swaddled or
held. Young children may enjoy hanging
from monkey bars & dropping to the ground, climbing or jumping. Older children, adolescents or adults may
enjoy sports, running, lifting weights, or yoga. Note that all these activities involve more
than one sensation but all offer touch and input to the joints and muscles. Upset as a response to any of these types of
activities or to any sensory input in general, could indicate a disruption in
sensory processing, especially if that upset is of high intensity, duration, or
frequency beyond what would be expected for a person or child of that age.
Playdough helps develop hand strength, fine motor skills,
and tactile processing, which are all helpful for handwriting skills, later in
school.
People of any age may benefit
from squeezing playdough or a “stress ball” while trying to concentrate.
Note that using playdough or stress balls
offers the sensation of firm touch and gives input to the small joints and
muscles of the hand, which is organizing for the brain.
It gives automatic input so the brain doesn’t
have to work so hard.
Slow, rhythmic, low frequency sounds tend to be calming. High pitched unpredictable sounds tend to be
alerting and are often aversive to many children and adults. Pairing lower frequency sounds such as
classical music that incorporates base, drum, or chants, or even ocean sounds,
or humming with any of the above activities, increases the potential for a
calming effect. As with any activity or
sensory input, personal preferences should always be taken into account.
By giving the brain and body regular, even small doses of
positive inputs we need, people may increase daily function at any age.
