It seems as if the Great Bard, Sir William Shakespeare might have been right, but about a different kind of love…a mother’s love for her newborn infant. “If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die. Twelfth Night Act 1, scene…
Category: sensory integration
Research Update: Ayres Theories of Autism and Sensory Integration Revisited: What Contemporary Neuroscience Has to Say
Abstract Abnormal sensory-based behaviors are a defining feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Dr. A. Jean Ayres was the first occupational therapist to conceptualize Sensory Integration (SI) theories and therapies to address these deficits. Her work was based on neurological knowledge of the 1970’s. Since then, advancements in neuroimaging techniques make it possible to better…
Research Update: Bone, not adrenaline, drives fight or flight response [? could this be why proprioception helps reduce anxiety?]
Fascinating research adds to and challenges our existing knowledge. This recently published research is suggesting that the fight and flight response in vertebrates may in part be triggered by osteocalcin release via bones. This research raises so many questions regarding the evidence about why sensory integration may help support self regulation. It makes me wonder…
Research Update: All about how one hospital is meeting the sensory needs of acutely unwell young people.
Meeting the needs of children with sensory integration and processing difficulties when they need cate for acute illness can be challenging for parents and medical teams. This study explores the development of a sensory care pathway to address this need. “Objective: To identify pediatric patients with sensory sensitivities during a hospital visit, and to implement…
Research Update: Sensory Modulation Disorder (SMD) and Pain: A New Perspective
Pain and sensory integration difficulties including sensory sensitivity are thought to be features in many disorders including CFS/ME and hyper mobility. Recent research and evidence is exploring the links. Abstract “Sensory modulation disorder (SMD) affects sensory processing across single or multiple sensory systems. The sensory over-responsivity (SOR) subtype of SMD is manifested clinically as a…
Research Update: Sensory Over-Responsivity as an Added Dimension in ADHD
Research and evidence for sensory integration and processing difficulties in ADHD
Research Update: Occupational Therapy Interventions for Children and Youth With Challenges in Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing: A School-Based Practice Case Example
From AOTA May 2019 “Evidence Connection articles provide case examples of how practice decisions may be informed by findings of systematic reviews sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association Evidence-Based Practice Project. This Evidence Connection article is the second article in a two-part series. The first article described a case report of occupational therapy provided…
CPD Update: Neurodevelopmental Soft Signs: Implications for Sensory Processing and Praxis Assessment—Part One
An interesting read, this AOTA CE Article links sensory integration and processing difficulties and higher functions linked to occupation and participation. A table in the article links types of neurodevelopmental soft signs (NSS) in Occupational Therapy evaluation and underlying brain areas implicated in the literature, commenting that “Integrating clinical observations of NSS with advanced brain-based…
Research Update: Sensory sensitivity and its relationship with adult attachment and parenting styles
“I was reflecting on the original ASI in MH case study I used when teaching about SI application in MH at a DBT Conference. Convincing others SI was relevant beyond childhood and to my DBT colleagues in psychiatry in 2002 was a very tricky thing then. Wish I’d known then I’d be reading this today!…
Research Update : Decoding Touch Sensitivity in Autism
“The inability to tolerate light touch is a telltale feature of autism and one of the disorder’s many perplexing symptoms. It has defied treatment and its precise origins have remained somewhat of a mystery. Now, a study led by investigators at Harvard Medical School’s Blavatnik Institute has not only identified the molecular aberrations that give rise to heightened…
Ayres’ Sensory Integration Evidence 