Tell me more about sensory integration…..

We all know what vision/hearing/tasting/smelling and touching is all about but what about the other 3 senses……..

THE MOVEMENT SENSE (Vestibular sense)

• Balance • Gravity

THE BODY SENSE (Proprioceptive system):

• This responds to information from our muscles and joints about the rate, speed, force and timing of our movements
• Internal GPS of the body

INTEROCEPTION:

• Senses the interal signals from our body

So why is sensory integration important?

It forms the basis of all learning…..

Let’s look at each system and how it can be out of sync by over-reacting and/or under-reacting or both

Listed below is just some of the signs of over-/under reaction…..

THE VISUAL SYSTEM

Over-reaction

• Sensitive to bright lights
• Get easily distracted in visually busy environments
• Gets headaches/rubs eyes
• Avoids eye contact
• Enjoys playing in dimly lit rooms

Under-reaction

• Looks at others to follow instructions (copies them)
• Cannot attend to the task at hand
• Misses visual cues
• Confuses patters/numbers/shapes looking almost the same
• Struggles to find items in a box/room
• Bumps into people/furniture

THE TOUCH SYSTEM

Over-reaction

• Avoids walking bear foot
• Avoids messy play
• Doesn’t want to wear certain types of clothing
• May be a picky eater
• Hates having hair/nails cut
• Doesn’t like unexpected touch
• Doesn’t like standing in a cue
• May over-react to minor cuts
• Doesn’t like being touched/cuddled

Under-reaction

• Touched everyone/everything
• Not aware of hands/feet being dirty
• Not aware of a runny nose
• Seeks out messy play
• Likes salty/sweet/spicy food
• Not aware of being touched
• Mouths objects
• Not always aware of cuts/bruises

THE AUDITORY SYSTEM

Over-reaction

• Scared of loud noises/sounds
• Distracted by sounds not normally notices by others
• May avoid going to the movies/malls
• Covers their ears in what they consider ‘noisy environments’
• May dislike sometimes due to their voice
• Asks people to be quite

Under-reaction

• Looks at others when instructions are given to see what is needed
• Doesn’t reacted when his name is called
• Seems to ignore the person when spoken to
• Loves loud tv’s/radio’s
• Makes noises/sounds e.g. humming
• Talks himself through a task

THE OLFACTORY (SMELL) SYSTEM

Over-reaction

• Notices smells not notices by others
• Avoids certain places/people/food due to it’s smell
• Will respond in a negative/exaggerated way when noticing a certain smell

Under-reaction

• Tends to smell non-edible objects
• May smell people
• Doesn’t smell unpleasant odours

THE ORAL (TASTE) SYSTEM

Over-reaction

• Avoids certain foods due to their texture/taste – picky eater
• Gags when eating certain foods
• Scared of the dentist
• Prefers bland foods

Under-reaction

• Licks/taste inedible objects
• May lick people
• Excessive drooling past 2 years of age

THE VESTIBULAR (MOVEMENT) SYSTEM

Over-reaction

• Fearful of uneven surfaces/going up or down stairs
• Don’t like lifts/escalators
• Don’t like to wash their head as they have to tip their heads backwards
• Don’t like climbing on objects that’s off the floor
• Avoids playground equipment
• Gets car-sick
• Appears clumsy

Under-reaction

• Can swing/spin for hours on time
• Gets himself into dangerous situations without realising it
• Can’t seem to sit still
• Loves being tossed in the air
• Jumps on everything
• Rocks/sways body while sitting in the chair

THE PROPRIOCEPTIVE (DEEP-PRESSURE INPUT) SYSTEM

Sensory-seeker

• Loves rough-and-tumble
• Stomps feet while walking
• Grinds teeth
• Chews on shirt/pen
• Bumps against people/objects
• Bangs objects together
• Loves jumping of furniture

Difficulty with grading of movement

• Plays too hard/rough with other children
• Pet dogs/cats too hard
• Breaks/drops objects
• Walks into furniture/people
• Bumps toes frequently
• Presses hard with the pencil onto the paper

I one or more of these systems isn’t functioning optimally (out of sych) a child might behave differently than what is expected of him/her in a certain situation e.g. crying/tantrums/aggression/isolation/lack of concentration, ect. To find out more watch the pre-recorded webinar on how to integrate the sensory systems/modulate the sensory sytems.

This webinar is available on my website using the following link: Opleiding/Training – Carla Grobler Occupational Therapist