What is Sensory Integration?

Sensory Integration is the organization of sensation for use so that we can respond.

To put it simply, sensory integration is the ability to take in, sort out, and connect information from the world around us in an organized manner.

Sensory integration puts it all together so that when we eat an orange.

We have a total experience.

• We sense the orange through our eyes, (we see it).
• Our ears (the sound of the orange skin peeling).
• Our mouth (the taste).
• Our skin (on our hands and fingers and in our mouth).
• And information from less conscious sensory systems that tell us.
• The exact position of our hand.
• How wide we open our mouth.
• How hard to bite down.
• How much to move our head to our hand.

Thus, sensory integration nourishes the brain by helping the brain properly digest the sensory information it receives. Every moment countless bits of sensory information bombard our nervous system. It is estimated that 2 million bits per sec enter the central nervous system. Sensations are the food of the brain.

A good way to think about SI is to compare it to the way traffic flows in a large city. Automobile traffic is like the body's neural impulses. SI dysfunction is like a traffic jam in the brain. Some bits of sensory information get tied up in traffic and the brain doesn't receive all the sensory information it needs to do it's job.

Children with SI dysfunction may lack the ability to screen out non-essential sensory information. Therefore, their brain is always on overload. As a result, normal lights seem like high-powered spot lights, a windstorm may sound like a tornado, and background noises aren't in the background. Imagine what life would be like if we constantly were bombarded by this sensory overload!! However, intervention can have a dramatic impact on SI dysfunction. Therapy involves activities that provide vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile stimulation. Activities gradually increase in difficulty to provide the child with additional challenges as s/he is able to handle them.

Signs of Sensory Integrative Dysfunction

Symptoms of Sensory Integration Dysfunction. (Reproduced with permission from the Apraxia-Kids Web page)

Auditory

• Responds negatively to unexpected or loud noises.
• Holds hands over ears.
• Cannot walk with background noise.
• Seems oblivious within an active environment.

Visual

• Prefers to be in the dark.
• Hesitates going up and down steps.
• Avoids bright lights.
• Stares intensely at people or objects.
• Avoids eye contact.

Taste/Smell

• Avoids certain tastes/smells that are typically part of children's diets.
• Routinely smells nonfood objects.
• Seeks out certain tastes or smells.
• Does not seem to smell strong odors.

Body Position

• Continually seeks out all kinds of movement activities.
• Hangs on other people, furniture, objects, even in familiar situations.
• Seems to have weak muscles, tires easily, has poor endurance.
• Walks on toes.

Movement

• Becomes anxious or distressed when feet leave the ground.
• Avoids climbing or jumping.
• Avoids playground equipment.
• Seeks all kinds of movement and this interferes with daily life.
• Takes excessive risks while playing, has no safety awareness.

Touch

• Avoids getting messy in glue, sand, finger paint, tape.
• Is sensitive to certain fabrics. (clothing, bedding)
• Touches people and objects at an irritating level.
• Avoids going barefoot, especially in grass or sand.
• Has decreased awareness of pain or temperature.

Attention, Behavior And Social

• Jumps from one activity to another frequently and it interferes with play.
• Has difficulty paying attention.
• Is overly affectionate with others.
• Seems anxious.
• Is accident prone.
• Has difficulty making friends, does not express emotions.

The senses

We are all familiar with the five basic sensory systems: sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. These basic senses or far senses" respond to external stimuli from the environment. However, less familiar sensory systems exist within our bodies called interoceptive, tactile, vestibular and proprioceptive senses. These body-centered sensory systems or "near senses" operate without conscious thought and we cannot observe them (Kranowitz, 41).

• Interoceptive: "Sensory system of the internal organs. (e.g., heart rate, hunger, digestion, state of arousal, mood, etc.)
• Tactile Sense: Processing information about touch received primarily through the skin.
• Vestibular Sense: Processing information about movement, gravity and balance, primarily received through the inner ear.
• Proprioceptive: Processing information about body position received through the muscles, ligaments and joints". (Kranowitz)

The Balanced Sensory Diet

All children need sensory input and experiences to grow and learn, but this is even more crucial for the child with sensory integration dysfunction. A sensory diet is a planned and scheduled activity program implemented by an occupational therapist. They are designed and developed specific to meet the needs of the child's nervous system. "Just as the five main food groups provide daily nutritional requirements, a daily sensory diet fulfills physical and emotional needs" (Kranowitz, 187). As explained earlier, stimulation of the "near" senses (tactile, vestibular and proprioceptive) leads to the growth of the neuron cell's dendrites and synapses. A sensory diet includes a combination of alerting, organizing and calming techniques that lead directly to the "near" senses.