Additional Frequently Asked Questions
What determines if there is a sensory processing difference?
An occupational therapist will utilize several tools to determine your child’s sensory involvement and plan an appropriate therapy program. There are a number of tests that may be use to determine the needs of your child. In addition, the therapist will interview parent/caregiver, and use clinical observation skills of your child in action. One formal evaluation tool that may be used by therapists, who are certified in this test, is the Sensory Integration Praxis Test (SIPT). This test is used for children four to eight years old. It gives very detailed, quantifiable information. There are a number of other tests used to evaluate children from birth on.
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What is sensory integration therapy?
Occupational Therapists are the primary discipline that works with children with Sensory Processing differences. They use play as motivation with your child. By doing this the therapist can provide your child with just the right challenge, which should encourage your child to view new sensory experiences in a positive way. This will eventually lead your child to be comfortable with, or even enjoy different sensations in his world and eventually adapt or alter how his body responds to sensory input.
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What are the types of Sensory Information?
Vestibular (body motion): This is our three-dimensional sense. It gives us the understanding of where we are in relation to the ground and other objects, as well as balance.
Proprioceptive (body position): This is our sense of body awareness. It gives us the information of where our body parts are in relation to other body parts and how they are moving.
Tactile: This is our touching sense. It gives us information about things contacting the body. It tells about pressure, temperature, texture, size, shape, movement and pain.
Visual: This is our seeing sense. It gives us information about the location, color, shape, and distance of objects from one another as well as movement of objects and people.
Auditory: This is our hearing sense. It gives us information about the location of a sound, allowing us to capture and pick out sounds we hear.
Olfactory: This is our smelling sense. It gives us information about the odors around us by sensing the chemicals floating in the air.
Gustatory: this is our tasting sense. It gives us information about the things that enter the mouth by detecting certain chemicals in our food.
