San Diego Occupational Therapy specializes in sensory integration therapy. Sensory integration (SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation, or “sensory integration.”
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. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological “traffic jam” that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly.
A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the eight senses, including auditory, visual, gustatory, olfactory, proprioceptive, vestibular, tactile, and interoception, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor deficiencies, behavioral challenges, anxiety, depression, academic struggles, and other difficulties may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.
For more information on Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration, please contact us.