Madore Family's Autism Resource Site 

SENSORY INTEGRATION

Andrew seems to have some "sensory issues" that we try to address.
He seems more aware and relaxed after jumping on his little trampoline, 
swimming in the pool or swinging outside.
I try to have him "sensorized" (my word for when Andrew is done with sensory activities)
before his sessions and the therapists are trying to incorporate it into his "break" times.
There are some occupational therapists that are trained in this area.
I would suggest you try some of their techniques. There are many things you can do that don't require purchasing things. My speech therapist and occupational therapist from the Early Intervention Program helped train my family and therapists how to use the activities below to "ready" Andrew's senses to learn. Once he performs some of these activities, he is more prepared to sit down, relax, and focus on his lessons.

Let me know of any suggestions that you have that I can pass on to other parents.

PRESENTING PROBLEMS SEEN IN CHILDREN WITH SUSPECTED 
SENSORY INTEGRATION DISORDERS
(For identification of sensory system dysfunction,
several symptoms must occur together.)

INFANCY

Irritable baby
Low muscle tone
Poor sleep cycles
May dislike being on back
May startle easily
Slow development - or less than normal quality of movement

TODDLER
(above may continue with addition of the following)

Short attention span
Clumsiness
Poor Articulation
Overly upset by slight injury
Fear of walking on some surfaces
Fear of slides, other movements
Very messy eater
Slow language development
Rejects many foods because of texture

CHILDHOOD - Pre-K to 3rd grade
(above may continue with addition of the following)

Fine motor problems (i.e., handwriting, cutting, coloring)
Hyperactivity
Poor social skills
Impulsiveness
Cries easily
Dislikes textures (i.e., finger-painting, food)
Difficulties in gross motor activities
Falls easily
Often accidentally breaks toys during play
Strong dislike for certain types of clothing
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD - 4TH - 6TH grade
(above may continue with addition to the following)

Increased academic problems/attention
Behavioral problems
Poorly organized or compulsively organized
Reversals in writing and reading
Trouble keeping up with peers in activities

PREADOLESCENCE
(above may continue with addition to the following)

Organization problems
Trouble finishing homework/attention
Immature in physical skills and social relationships
More pronounced behavioral problems (i.e., acts out, picks fights)
Loses or forgets things
Often socially isolated
Chooses individual sports (i.e., running, swimming)
Chooses heavy contact sports (i.e., football, soccer)
Avoids team sports (i.e., basketball, baseball)
May be overly emotional

Information taken from: Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy,
Paula Kramer, Jim Hinojosa.

THE LEARNING BLOCKS OF
SENSORY INTEGRATION DEVELOPMENT

Level 4 - Academic Readiness (By 6 years)
Complex Motor Skills
Regulating Attention & Organized Behavior
Specialization of Body & Brain
Visualization
Self- Esteem & Self-Control

Level - 3 Perceptual-Motor Skills (By 3 years)
Auditory & Visual Perception
Eye-Hand Coordination (Pencil Skills)
Visual-Motor Integration
Purposeful Activity

Level 2 - Perceptual-Motor Foundations (By 1 year)
Body Percept (Body Awareness)
Bilateral Coordination
Lateralization (hand preference)
Motor Planning (Praxis)

Level 1 - Primary Sensory Systems (By 2 months)
Tactile Sense (Touch)
Vestibular Sense (Balance & Movement)
Proprioceptive Sense (Body Position)
Visual & Auditory Sense

Illustration taken from The Out-of-Sync-Child, Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A.

PROPRIOCEPTIVE SYSTEM

Marching, jumping skipping crawling -Imitation of gross motor movements (remembering use only age appropriate skills), Demonstration of actions named, following locative directions (in, out, on top, under, around. Through. Next to, in front, in back).

Wall push-ups/push-ups, sit-ups, etc.-Discuss sequence of events, ("First we are doing push-ups, and finally we will find our seats.").

Sitting in a bean bag-Great for story time, Use during listening activities.

Obstacle Course-Imitation of gross motor movements, Demonstration of actions named, Describing actions , Following locative directions (in, out, on top, under, through, next, in front,/back).

Wheelbarrow walking-Let individuals race each other, Talk about locatives "Who was in front/behind?"

Moving chairs/desks-Rearrange room/chairs using prepositions ("Put your chair next to Cathy's chair."), Describing where they want to move their chair using prepositions/locatives.

Tug-o-war-Following directions (simple or complex), Following directions involving adjectives/adverbs, Sing songs.

FOR THE MOUTH

Chewing on plastic tubing, twizzlers, tootsie rolls-Great during story time or for listening activities.

Chewing gum-Use only in controlled situations (only at given times).

Eating crunchy snacks, pretzels/popcorn/nuts/chips-
Great to do before articulation/speech activities-wakes up the mouth.

Eat sour/bitter/spicy snacks-Great to do before articulation/speech activities wakes up the mouth.

VESTIBULAR SYSTEM

Ring Around the Rosie- Locatives & descriptives (next to, around, up, down, fast, slow)
Following directions. Turn-taking

London bridges- Locatives & descriptives (under, in, out, around, in front of, behind, fast, slow)

Sitting on a move-n-sit, a rocking chair, - Great for story time. Or a Ther-a-ball

Erasing the chalkboard in a rhythmically motion- Imitating actions following directions Describing actions using adjectives.

Exercises such as picking up cherries, jumping jacks, windmills, toe touches- Discuss body parts-great for identifying/labeling.
Following a sequence of events (1st, 2nd , 3rd ).

Stretching exercises (reaching for the sky, reaching for toes, side to side)- Great relaxation exercises for the children with dysfluent speech.
Discuss adjectives/locatives.

Swinging- Great for very structured one-to-one activities.
Increased eye contact. Turn taking. Use of requests for "More", "Fast", Slow", etc.

TACTILE SYSTEM

Lotion/Hand sanitizer- Imitation of movements (gross & fine motor)
Identifying/labeling body parts. Following directions.

Textured toys- Great for pretend play.

Fidgets- Great during story time or listening activities.

Finger painting with various mediums- Imitating strokes, circles, letters, etc.
Following directions. Requesting for supplies "I need more paint/shaving cream."
Describing the feel of the medium "It's sticky/squishy/soft."

No Bake activities (Trail mix, Chex mix, Pudding, etc.)- Following directions & sequence of events. Describing actions. Following locative directions.

Sensory boxes for hands and feet- Encourage pretend play.
Use cup, bowls, spoons to incorporate functional use of objects.
Follow locative commands (in, out, next to, under, in front of, etc)
Labeling objects in box using stereognosis (Naming by just touching objects)
Identifying objects using attributes named ("Find the squishy, soft, round objects.")

LINKS

Stone Oak Therapy:
http://www.stoneoaktherapy.com
(210) 798-2273,
TreeHouse Pediatrics:
http://www.treehousepediatrics.com
Atrium 85 NE Loop 410 Ste. 312, San Antonio, Tx 78215,
Phone: 210-340-2627, 210-599-2030(NE side).
http://www.bellecurve.com/

Carol Kranowitz's site
http://www.out-of-sync-child.com

Marie's Sensory Integration Page, one mother's compendium on SI
http://www.mindspring.com/~mariep/si/sensory.integration.html

Pocketful of Therapy - Toys and educational products
http://pfot.com

Sensory Integration According to Cindy Hatch-Rasmussen, OTR,
the Center for the Study of Autism's SI link
http://www.autism.org/si.html

Sensory Integration Resource Center
http://uchsc.edu/sinet

Theraproducts
http://www.theraproducts.com

Special Clothes for special children
http://www.weightedvest.com

S.I. Net - Sensory Integration Resource Center
http://www.sinetwork.org

Nashville Sensory Integrative Dysfunction Foundation
http://www.nashvillesid.com

Sensory Comfort
http://www.sensorycomfort.com

Sensory Integration International
http://home.earthlink.net/~sensoryint/

American Occupational Therapy Association
http://www.aota.org

Developmental Concepts
http://www.atready.com

Fractiles
http://www.fractiles.com

Henry Occupational Therapy Services Inc
http://www.gtcs.com/sponsors/henry/index2.html

KidPower
http://www.kid-power.com/sid.html

Through the Looking Glass
http://www.lookingglass.org

The Unicorn Children's Foundation
http://www.saveachild.com

Ideal Lives
http://www.ideallives.com

Exceptional Parent
http://www.eparent.com

Internet Resources for Special Children
http://www.irsc.org

Prelude Music Therapy
http://preludetherapy.home.att.net

West Music
http://westmusic.com

Sensory Resources
http://www.sensoryresources.com/index.asp

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