Psychologists who treat children with trauma and some of the “combo” disorders we see in adopted children frequently tell parents that their child might benefit from a sensory integration evaluation and some sensory integration therapy.

Concerned parents start down the path of looking into this and inevitably find out that school systems provide Occupational Therapy (OT) services to children who qualify. But these parents often find that what they thought they were getting through the school-provided OT services and what their child actually needs aren’t necessarily the same thing. They find that it’s hard to get the child to “qualify” first off, then it’s hard to get the right amount or type of therapy that will make a difference for the child.

There’s a huge disconnect in the field of Occupational Therapy between the OTs who practice Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) or treat Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and those who don’t. First off, as a parent you know things are new, unproven, on the cutting edge and not agreed upon when a professional can’t even decide what to call the disorder – is it Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) or Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?

Most OTs have only minimal training in sensory integration. Their background is squarely in helping their clients learn life skills, be able to live independently. Some OTs work with adults who have been injured or disabled, trying to retrain them in daily self-care and living skills. Others work with children in areas of handwriting, motor skills and even problem-solving and memory skills.

But sensory integration issues are often only basically introduced in an OT’s training. So, OTs who specialize in SIT must get additional training.

Yet, awareness of sensory integration problems are on the rise. Most children diagnosed with disorders on the autism spectrum have sensory issues (either avoiding or seeking). Children who do not have autism can exhibit sensory issues as well. We all know children who can’t stand shoes on their feet, chew the collar of their shirts, freak out at the sound of fireworks, run and bump into walls and people for the stimulation, and put objects in their mouths well past toddlerhood.

Some studies have shown that children coming from backgrounds of extreme neglect (like orphanages or child neglect cases) have not received the necessary sensory stimulation as infants for the sensory part of their brain to develop correctly. Yet, the actual scientific research of sensory integration hasn’t kept pace with the need to know about it. (This is true for several disorders our children deal with – trauma, attachment, autism…)

Because SPD isn’t in the DSM and there hasn’t been much research, those who practice SIT are seen as cutting-edge or controversial. And cutting-edge and controversial are rarely found in public schools or early intervention programs.

So, when parents ask the question, “where can I get sensory integration therapy for my adopted child?” and they are pointed to school systems and early intervention programs, they are often disappointed.

It is very hard to get a child who is sensory seeking or has behavioral-based symptoms of sensory integration disorder qualified through public schools for OT. They seem to more easily recognize tactile defensiveness and food aversion issues. Children who want to jump, spin, bump into things (for proprioceptive stimulation) or have noise aversions are often not so quickly recognized.

Some school OTs do provide sensory diets for children with SPD. Some are very innovative about including balls for the children to sit on while working, so they can stimulate their vestibular system. They recommend frequent breaks, being able to sit on bean bags, having chew tubes. There are many things that can be done.

But many parents find that they need to really push to get these things integrated into their child’s school day. They also find that insurance companies are unwilling to cover SIT. Meanwhile, those getting the interventions report great improvement.





Learning Breakthrough

How Does Your Engine Run?

Interactive Metronome

Teaching Children with SPD –Part 1

Teaching Children with SPD – Part 2

Makes Sense to Me: Proprioceptive Dysfunction

Photo Credit (the Bumpy Ball, one of LuLu's favorite sensory toys)

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