Sensory+Integration+Therapy

//Sensory Integration Therapy// is aimed at assisting children with neurological disabilities (such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Downs Syndrome) in stimulating their senses to improve developmental aspects such as balance, coordination and movement in space (Wikipedia 2011) Jean Davison (YouTube 2011), a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, explains in the following clip what //Sensory Integration Therapy// involves and how the therapy assists young chidren with disabilities. This clip gave me more of an insight as to how //Sensory Integration Therapy// is used for children with special needs, and the activites in which help to improve children's spatial and body awareness through touch and movement. Davison (2011) mentioned some interesting points about how we organise and combine our senses in order to make sense of our world. Davison (2011) also notes that //Sensory Integration Therapy// assists children to feel success through a non-threatening approach, and most importantly, supports children in feeling good about themselves.

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When observing on my first practical experience in 2010, I was placed in a year 3/4 special needs class, where the teacher and her assistant catered for a number of children with different disabilities. Each day, the student's would take part in a //Sensory Integration Therapy// activity. The student's partook in activities such as: "Tunnel roll", where a large plastic tunnel was put on its side. The student's had to lay over the tunnel, roll forwards with their arms out stretched until their hands touched the floor, then push themselves back to the beginning position. This activity, appropriate for children ranging from Pre-school to Year 4, assists children with their hand-eye coordination, balance and stimulation of large muscle groups. Another activity, which was highly popular with all student's in the class, was free dancing. This allowed the student's to move their bodies within the space, exploring how they can move their bodies to music. This activity can also be structured through giving instructions to student's as to how to move their bodies, for example; 'Make your body move like a snake, make your body move like a melting ice-cream'. This activity is appropriate for children from Pre-school to year 4. Finally, my favourite activity in which I took part, was a massage circle. Student's were each given a massage toy and sat facing around in a circle. The student's 'drew pictures' (massage) on the back of the student in front of them. This activity, not only feels good, but it helps the student's to know their limits of pressure in being 'gentle' with others. This activity would be appropriate for children from Pre-school to year 4. According to the Department of Health and Ageing (2006), some //Sensory Integration Therapy// activities are generally provided by an Occupational Therapist. The 'therapist selects activities for each child based on his or her 'sensory needs' (DHA Online)

For more information on //Sensory Integration Therapy//, [|Autism Healing Thresholds]provides some information as to what it is, how it works and also offers some useful resource links. Another site I found useful, [|Sensory Processing Disorder], presents 18 ideas, activities and strategies including a similar strategy relating to the rolling tunnel activity mentioned earlier in the post.

References:

Wikipedia Online 2011. //Sensory Integration Therapy//. Accessed 18.6.11. Available at []

Youtube Online 2011. //Sensory Integration Therapy Part One- What is it?// Accessed 18.6.11. Available at []

Department of Health and Ageing. Online 2006. //A review of the research to identify the most effective models of practice in early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders; Sensory Integration Therapy//. Accessed 18.6.11. Available at []