There are some great tools for isolating areas for sensory integration disorder treatment. The Sensory Profile, which was developed by Winnie Dunn, Ph.D., is often used as part of the assessment process when sensory integration disorder is suspected. It is designed to “profile the effect of sensory processing on functional performance in the daily life…
Occupational therapy (OT) supports and improves cognitive, motor, and sensory development utilizing meaningful age-appropriate activities. In the world of OT, these activities are also referred to as “occupations”. For a young child, the primary occupations are playing and interacting with caregivers. Along with play skills, older children occupy their time with self-help tasks, school-related activities,…
Sensory Integration theory was initially developed by A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D, OTR, in the 1960’s and 70’s. In 1989 Dr. Ayres defined sensory integration as “the neurological process that organizes sensation from one’s own body and from the environment and makes it possible to use the body effectively within the environment..” This is a simple…
The Texas Autism Research Center (TARRC) presents this annual conference to share “cutting edge autism research, including studies on possible causes of and factors contributing to autism, and research supporting evidence-based practices for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).” Having attended this conference in the past, I can assure families…
“Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as “sensory integration dysfunction”) is a condition that exists when sensory signals don’t get organized into appropriate responses. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression,…
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines milieu as “the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops: environment.” Sometimes referred to as incidental teaching, milieu communication training (MCT) is an evidence based intervention that has been effective with language disorders related to developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders and late-talkers. It has also been…
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has a slogan for this year: Living Life to the Fullest. Helping individuals meet the goal of living life to the fullest is central to the work of an occupational therapist. As a profession, occupational therapy’s mission is to “help people across the lifespan participate in the things they…
The Pediatric Occupational Therapist’s Role in Treating Sensory Processing Disorders According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), “occupational therapy is concerned with” a child’s ability to participate in daily life activities or “occupations.” Through an understanding of the impact of disability, illness, and impairment on a child’s development, play, ability to learn new skills,…
Speech Therapy addresses language and production aspects of communication. Speech and language therapy treats 5 domains; semantics, pragmatics, phonology, morphology, and syntax. Semantics has to do with meaning, so in a sense, vocabulary. Pragmatics addresses the social communicative aspect of language. Phonology relates to sound production, with the smallest sound segment being a phoneme. Morphology…
