A child is born without any experience with the environment. From the first seconds of life, various sensations begin to enter the brain through the senses. A series of sensations allows us to receive information about the state of the body and the world around us, accumulating sensory experience that a person needs to control the body and thinking.

Sense organs through which information enters the nervous system:

Sense organs, their receptors, conducting pathways and the part of the brain responsible for processing the received signals, together form a sensory system. The best known sensory systems are sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. They help us feel the physical properties of the world around us: temperature, taste, sound or pressure. nine0005

• sight, hearing, smell, touch;
• tactile - received through skin receptors from touch, pressure, temperature, pain;
• vestibular - received from the inner ear about the state of balance, gravitational changes, movement and position of the body in space;
• proprioceptive - derived from muscles and joints about body position, weight, pressure, stretch.

The sensory system allows us to receive information from the senses, and sensory integration to process it and further use it as an experience of interaction with the outside world. nine0005

The child's sensory system is quite fragile, so adverse factors can lead to a gradual onset of disturbances. They can be seen by the following signs:

• difficulty concentrating, "hears" mother only after the 3rd time;
• the child is restless and restless, impulsive, his mood often changes;
• quickly get bored with activities, toys;
• ignores rules of conduct;
• forgets and often loses things; nine0016
• sleeps poorly, often wakes up at night;
• is afraid of water.

In infants

There are no symptoms of sensory integration disorders at this age, but some prerequisites for their appearance can be created if the baby's mobility is limited. For example, if a mother always carries a child in her arms, not allowing him to move enough, then the baby lacks the experience gained from independent movements. To prevent this from happening, parents need to create conditions for the baby that are optimal for motor and speech development. To do this, it is important to talk with the baby, let him crawl, explore and touch objects made of different materials and different sizes, show toys of different colors. nine0005

Preschoolers

At preschool age, the inability to play is a very common symptom of sensory integration disorder. The child cannot build a house out of cubes, hold a toy, or fold a simple mosaic. The child does not feel his body and does not know how to control it, his motor coordination suffers, he loses his balance, stumbles all the time, drops objects more often than his peers. In this case, the child is shown classes with a physical therapist.

Junior schoolchildren

At school age, children with sensory integration disorders have learning problems. This arises either from the difficulty of mastering the curriculum, or from violations of the behavior associated with schooling, even if learning abilities are not reduced.

The child tries to concentrate, but it is difficult for him to concentrate, all his strength is spent on this, which makes him very tired. Against the background of fatigue, the child begins to be distracted by extraneous sounds, actions, his brain is overexcited and the child may begin to “jump around the class” not because he wants to do it, but because his brain is getting out of control. nine0005

The child cannot explain his problems or understand and evaluate what is happening, because the brain processes are unconscious and not subject to control. Adults often only exacerbate the problems of the child, forcing him to perform overwhelming tasks. But it is important to understand that neither rewards nor punishments can affect the situation, so it is worth contacting a neurologist with such behavior.

Adolescents

One of the most common complaints of parents of adolescents with sensory disabilities is lack of concentration. It is difficult for the brain to organize sensations and therefore everything else. A teenager is unable to concentrate on tasks such as cleaning a room or writing an essay, it is difficult for him to plan a series of tasks, he does not know where to start, or how long each action will take. If he is interrupted, he forgets what he was doing. There are days when it is impossible to concentrate on something and complete the task at all. nine0005

Rehabilitation program

Neurologist and physical therapist first perform sensory diagnostics and, based on the results, create a recovery program. It includes physical therapy, massages, visceral correction.

Two weeks after the end of the course, concentration of attention and sleep will improve, mood will stabilize, memory will improve, the work of the gastrointestinal tract will normalize.

This will give the child the opportunity to study better, get along with peers and parents, and respond more calmly to stressful situations. nine0005

At the Center for New Medical Technologies

Parents about sensory integration - Tver Rehabilitation Center for Children

Sensory Integration is the organization of sensory inputs that enables the brain to respond effectively to the body and shape emotions and behaviour. The purpose of this process is planning and performing appropriate actions in response to a sensory stimulus, external or internal . Sensory integration dysfunction is a condition in which signals coming from different sense organs are not translated into an appropriate response, are not organized into an adequate behavioral response.

Sensory Integration Disorder is the term for sensory processing disorder. Behind this diagnosis lies a deviation that is usually not seen and not diagnosed, attributing its manifestations to the whims of the child. Does he cover his ears with his hands in a noisy place? Dislikes a wool sweater and tags on clothes to the point of hysterics? Afraid to walk up stairs, run away from the smell of raw fish, don't ride a bike, and get distracted by any noise in class? Yes, you spoiled the child, you need to educate more strictly! What actually happens to overly or insufficiently sensitive children (and adults) and whether it can be "educated", these questions can be answered by a specialist working with sensory integration theory. nine0005

The nervous system is like an electrical circuit: for full operation, it is necessary that all sensors and conductors work with the same efficiency. If some wire does not withstand the prescribed voltage or, conversely, has an increased resistance, the circuit is not operating in an optimal mode and may “close”. The same thing happens with the nervous system of our body. Sensory impulses are transmitted from external and internal organs to the brain every second even before birth, and after birth, their number increases by orders of magnitude. nine0005

If the baby is born healthy, grows up in a rich sensory environment - he is often picked up, talked, offered to touch and pull various objects to the touch in his mouth, help to move - then, as a rule, there are problems in the development of motor skills, speech and behavior does not occur.

If, during fetal development, during childbirth, damage to the brainstem, cerebellum, nerve pathways occurs, for example, during fetal hypoxia, or the child is brought up in conditions of sensory deficiency, sensory information processing dysfunction develops. The way we perceive and process incoming information: what we see, hear, smell, how we feel hunger, altitude, how we can maintain balance - affects not only our well-being. This forms the way of action, thinking, type of communication, affects even the mastery of everyday skills. It is difficult to eat soup when the hand is not very deftly bringing the spoon to the mouth, the taste buds distort information, the sense of smell reports that the smell of laurel is too sharp, the tactile receptors do not really help swallowing, and the introceptive ones “assert” that the child is not at all hungry. nine0005

Inappropriately processed in children with sensory integration dysfunction. Some get overexcited by sensory stimuli, while others are constantly on the lookout for or avoid them. It is very important to identify the symptoms of sensory integration dysfunction as early as possible, which is the key to the success of the intervention and the prevention of secondary, concomitant developmental problems: such as behavior problems, attention problems, emotional problems, social interaction problems, problems with self-control - bad mood or outbursts of aggression, self-doubt, low self-esteem. nine0005

Is it easy to pay attention to the teacher's words if the birds chirp outside the window, it seems, right in your ear, the clothes are annoying, or you want to hide under the desk from the light of fluorescent lamps? Adults who are aware of their preferences can correct the situation. In children, everything immediately affects behavior. However, it is no secret to any adult that children may also not want to eat this particular soup, and they may not like a woolen sweater because it is not pink. How to distinguish violations from momentary whims and preferences? With not pronounced violations, this is a rather delicate issue that is best left to specialists. The entire body and nervous system develop in the process of growing up. Disliked soups become quite edible when the body demands more food, and the sensory information transmission mechanisms also gradually start to work better, sometimes completely, more often not quite efficiently, but "tolerably". nine0005

Signs of impaired sensory integration.

According to researchers, every 6th child is not capricious, but has a significant impairment that prevents full development. How do they figure it out?

• Auditory processing disorders: children are afraid of loud sounds, cannot tolerate certain types of music (or music in general), mother's singing, voice timbres, often cover their ears or head with a pillow or vice versa, often do not hear when they are spoken to, do not like noisy environments, streets, look confused in such places, stay in the classroom during recess. nine0016
• Violations of the visual system: the child does not like to walk up stairs, step over obstacles, look into the eyes, prefers twilight or darkness, is naughty in bright light, strains when looking at others and objects.
• Disorders of tactile perception: children do not like to play with plasticine, sand, paints, are afraid to get dirty with glue or dirt, avoid touching themselves, do not like to touch many objects themselves, react sharply to certain fabrics from clothes, bed linen, certain clothing designs, for example, turtlenecks, sweaters with a throat, complain about labels sticking out inside T-shirts, threads of embroidery, do not tolerate walking barefoot. There is also a decrease in pain and temperature sensitivity. nine0016
• Motor, vestibular dysfunctions: with these types of disorders, the child may be clumsy, clumsy movements, avoid sports fields, slides, ball games, does not learn to ride a bicycle, does not climb the bars, jumps badly, takes dangerous risks in outdoor games, tries different types of movements and tries to hold on, grab onto everything, because he feels unsteady. And the main difference between children with similar disorders is the difficulty of concentrating, especially if the environment is saturated with those stimuli to which they are especially sensitive. Children tend to change games, interests, type of activity very, very quickly, at the same time they are characterized by anxiety, there are affects - excessive emotional reactions (sharp whims, tantrums, crying, frequent laughter, aggressive behavior, etc.). nine0016

Parents, of course, know their child best, but they are parents first and foremost and may exaggerate or, conversely, underestimate the problem. Many children have symptoms of more than one subtype of sensory impairment. In one system, for example, tactile, the child may be hypersensitive, in the proprioceptive system - insensitive, and in the vestibular system, have a sensory search, the so-called combinatorial disorder. But the patterns, subtypes and degree of sensory disorders can only be identified by a specialist (ergotherapist, psychologist, special psychologist, speech therapist, speech pathologist, neuropsychologist, clinical psychologist, physiotherapist, AFC specialist, exercise therapy) who has completed a special training course on sensory integration. To identify symptoms of dysfunction requires a thorough examination, testing and training of the specialist conducting the diagnosis. nine0005

Sensory integration classes

Depending on the results of the diagnostics, a set of sensory sequences is selected - exercises that help improve the perception, transmission and processing of information. Despite the unusual name - sequences - the exercises themselves are such that children perceive everything as a game. Familiar pools with balls, hammocks and rocking chairs are complemented by unusual devices, and everything has its own movement goals. In the pool, you need to find and collect objects, swinging in a hammock, you need to manage to transfer a toy from one box to another, standing on a balance beam - learn a poem ... All this is designed to make up for the lack of those skills that children, due to developmental characteristics, did not receive during the sensitive period. Reducing sensitivity to stimuli or, conversely, saturating sensory hunger helps to restore balance and not waste strength and energy on protection from environmental influences. And that means - to develop faster, more actively and more harmoniously. nine0005

A therapeutic intervention based on the principles of sensory integration provides interaction with the child and encourages him to activities and activities that are natural. The pleasure of movement during a therapy session helps motivate the child and promotes sensory processing. The task of the intervention is not only to stimulate an adequate response to sensations, but also to relationships with people, both adults and children. Therapeutic intervention should include enhanced vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile sensations that are of practical value in improving CNS sensory processing. At the lesson, a specialist can offer the child bandaging the limbs and body with an elastic bandage to improve proprioceptive sensations, weighting and pressing (“Sandwich”), working with vibratory massagers and doing “hard work” (overcoming obstacles) for the same purpose. nine0005

The development of the vestibular apparatus is promoted by exercises on a swing, trampoline, gymnastic ball and balance beams. Tactile sensitivity is balanced through exercises with various sensory materials (cereals, paints, plasticine, dough, shaving foam and soap, etc.)

Sensory integration therapy at home

Ideas for the vestibular system

For low sensory sensitivity.

- encourage activities that promote the development of the vestibular system - rocking horses, swings, carousel and rocking chairs, hippotherapy. nine0005

For high touch sensitivity.

- divide activities into small steps, use visual cues to mark the finish line (eg colored tape) or rewards.

Ideas for the proprioceptive system

For low sensory sensitivity.

- place furniture against the wall of the room to make it easier to move around the room

- mark the boundaries of movement with bright tape on the floor

- instill the "arm's length" rule. nine0005

- Use vibrators, vibrating toys, bandages, weighted blankets.

For high touch sensitivity.

All types of activities for the development of fine motor skills, any kind of needlework, beadwork, drawing and coloring.

Ideas for the development of organs of perception of external stimuli

With low sensory sensitivity.

- use of substances with strong odors as a reward or distraction from unacceptable olfactory stimuli

- aromatherapy.

For high touch sensitivity.

- use unscented cleaners and shampoos, avoid wearing perfume, deodorize the environment as much as possible

When sensory sensitivity is poor.

- increase the use of visual stimulation, the use of bright, flashing toys.

- accompany any action with visual cues: objects, cards, toys. nine0005

For high touch sensitivity.

- Avoid fluorescent lights by using colored lights instead

- Sunglasses

- Create an enclosed workplace in the classroom: a space or desk with high walls or screens on either side to block excess visual stimulation from the front and sides

- use impenetrable curtains

When sensory sensitivity is low. nine0005

Music therapy. The benefits of music therapy have been rediscovered and are often used for people on the autism spectrum. Music therapy provides unique opportunities for communication, communication and self-expression.

For high touch sensitivity.

- close doors and windows to reduce external sounds

- prepare your child for noisy or crowded places

- ear plugs

- audio player

- creating a fenced workspace

When sensory sensitivity is poor.

- heavy blankets, sleeping bags, massage mats, rubbing with a hard washcloth, development of fine motor skills, working with materials of different textures and densities.

For high touch sensitivity.

- always warn the child that you are going to touch him, approach him only from the front

- remember that hugs can be more painful than comforting

- gradually introduce the child to different textures - prepare a box of materials for this

- teach the child independent actions that allow you to adjust sensitivity (for example, combing hair and washing).

Some types of sensory disturbances, their causes and approximate ways to overcome these problems.

- Too picky eater - hypersensitivity to taste or texture of food, possibly inability to feel food in the mouth - gradual familiarity with the sensations of different textures in the mouth, eg flannel, toothbrush, food; use small portions, change the texture of food. Encourage activities that involve the mouth, such as blowing whistles, blowing bubbles, drawing with straws. nine0005

- Chews everything, including clothes and objects - possibly finds it relaxing, enjoys tactile sensations - straws, latex-free chewing rings, hard chewing gums (refrigerated).

- Refuses to wear certain clothes - dislikes certain texture or pressure on the skin, turns clothes inside out to avoid seams - remove any tags or stickers, only allow clothes he feels comfortable in. nine0005

- Difficulty falling asleep - may find it difficult to shut out sensations, especially visual and auditory - use opaque curtains, let the child listen to music to block out external sounds, use heavy blankets.

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