What is Sensory Integration?

Sensory integration is the ability to process information received through the senses. A child’s early experiences with touch, movement, talk, and play provide the basis for the more complex sensory processing needed to read, write and socialize. For most children, integration develops naturally through life’s ordinary activities.

Dysfunction occurs in the central nervous system when the brain cannot locate, organize and respond accurately to sensory messages. Disorganization may result in developmental, learning, and behavior problems. Therapy provides individually designed activities that strengthen each child’s particular development and contribute towards fuller participation in life’s experiences.

Underlying sensory foundations contribute not only to the ability to do a task in a coordinated manner but also to the smoothness and efficiency of movement as well as the ability to sustain and adapt the necessary posture for each particular task. When a child uses cognitive energy for what should be automatic body movement the output will generally become labored, inefficient and slower than expected. Many bright children develop excellent compensatory strategies. Typically, they will work harder than other children to achieve the same results. If a child needs to think about how to position his/her body for a specific task rather than simply adapt one's body appropriately each task he/she attempts will require additional conscious body awareness and cognitive energy to perform. When underlying foundational skills are not sufficiently developed one may observe learning, behavioral and developmental irregularities in the home and/or in the classroom particularly when specific demands are made to perform a task.