Sensory Integration
Sensory regulation is the finely tuned filtering process of selecting or discarding sensory information entering the brain at the brain stem level. The brainstem is the gate through which all sensory information must travel to the brain.
Sensory Integration is a therapy approach which helps children to learn by improving their sensory regulation. Sensory regulation provides the child’s brain with the essential information from the environment. The environment in which the child plays in has many different textures for the child to feel. Lifting objects generates knowledge about weight, shapes, levers and work efficiency. The child learns by doing. Doing involves movement which creates stimulation in the vestibular apparatus. Vestibular sense helps the child to focus on a task and tones up the muscles. Good muscle tone provides a reliable infrastructure for eye movements, fine motor, coordination and listening. Listening is regulated by the child’s sensory integration ability to filter out irrelevant background noise and focus on relevant information. Likewise visual processing of images seen in the environment needs to be regulated. Poor regulation of visual sensory input results in over sensitivity to sunlight, avoidance of eye contact and difficulty in putting together a puzzle and inability to find an object in a cupboard. Finely tuned sensory input provides the brain with a motivation to learn, clear focus on task at hand, efficient visual scanning and correct spatial orientation of the visual image, accurate listening, toned posture with efficient planning and coordination of activities. The well- regulated sensory system is noticeable in behaviour that is appropriate, controlled and adaptable.
Signs of poor sensory regulation that may be helped by Sensory Integration:
Car sickness, fear on jungle gyms, avoiding play grounds and swings or the opposite continually “on the go”, continual climbing, jumping and rocking.
Easily frustrated, frequent melt-downs , anxiety, depression or moodiness.
Avoidance of personal hygiene routines like refusing to brush teeth, fussing about having hair cut or styled, fear and fussing during bathing, showering and nail cutting. Being picky about choice of clothing. Refusal to wear shoes and socks or refusal to take shoes and socks off. Complaints about tags on clothes or seams on socks or itchy fabrics.
Covering ears with hands or hoodies to avoid noise, fear reaction to loud sounds like motor bikes, vacuum cleaners and blenders. Avoidance of noisy places like shopping malls. Noisy singing and humming or talking continuously.
Extreme fussiness with food. Continual need to chew or bite.
Inadequate Sensory regulation results in extreme need for activity or refusal of activity and negatively affects learning and behaviour.
Sensory regulation is the finely tuned filtering process of selecting or discarding sensory information entering the brain at the brain stem level. The brainstem is the gate through which all sensory information must travel to the brain.
Sensory Integration is a therapy approach which helps children to learn by improving their sensory regulation. Sensory regulation provides the child’s brain with the essential information from the environment. The environment in which the child plays in has many different textures for the child to feel. Lifting objects generates knowledge about weight, shapes, levers and work efficiency. The child learns by doing. Doing involves movement which creates stimulation in the vestibular apparatus. Vestibular sense helps the child to focus on a task and tones up the muscles. Good muscle tone provides a reliable infrastructure for eye movements, fine motor, coordination and listening. Listening is regulated by the child’s sensory integration ability to filter out irrelevant background noise and focus on relevant information. Likewise visual processing of images seen in the environment needs to be regulated. Poor regulation of visual sensory input results in over sensitivity to sunlight, avoidance of eye contact and difficulty in putting together a puzzle and inability to find an object in a cupboard. Finely tuned sensory input provides the brain with a motivation to learn, clear focus on task at hand, efficient visual scanning and correct spatial orientation of the visual image, accurate listening, toned posture with efficient planning and coordination of activities. The well- regulated sensory system is noticeable in behaviour that is appropriate, controlled and adaptable.
Signs of poor sensory regulation that may be helped by Sensory Integration:
Car sickness, fear on jungle gyms, avoiding play grounds and swings or the opposite continually “on the go”, continual climbing, jumping and rocking.
Easily frustrated, frequent melt-downs , anxiety, depression or moodiness.
Avoidance of personal hygiene routines like refusing to brush teeth, fussing about having hair cut or styled, fear and fussing during bathing, showering and nail cutting. Being picky about choice of clothing. Refusal to wear shoes and socks or refusal to take shoes and socks off. Complaints about tags on clothes or seams on socks or itchy fabrics.
Covering ears with hands or hoodies to avoid noise, fear reaction to loud sounds like motor bikes, vacuum cleaners and blenders. Avoidance of noisy places like shopping malls. Noisy singing and humming or talking continuously.
Extreme fussiness with food. Continual need to chew or bite.
Inadequate Sensory regulation results in extreme need for activity or refusal of activity and negatively affects learning and behaviour.