moresensoryactivities

According to A Jean Ayres, the occupational therapist whose
work with neurologically impaired children and adults led to
the development of the sensory integration approach-

"Sensory integration is the organization of sensation
for use. Our senses give us information about the
physical conditions of our body and the environment
around us. Sensations flow into the brain like streams
flowing into a lake. Countless bits of sensory information
enter our brain at every moment, not only from our eyes
and ears, but also from every place in our bodies. We
have a special sense that detects the pull of gravity
and the movements of our body in relations to the earth. "

(From Sensory Integration and the Child by A. Jean Ayres,
Western Psychological Services)

Almost from the very beginning of life, babies struggle against
gravity to hold their heads up, to reach out, roll over, sit up,
hold the head up while on all fours and eventually stand.
Caretakers can help children develop strength and muscle
tone by giving them opportunities to work against gravity.

This baby on his belly must control his eye and neck muscles
while working against gravity. Proprioceptive sensory receptors baby

in his muscles and joints tell him where his body is
in space and help him move.

Children with sensory integration difficulties may avoid being
on the belly. Encourage this position by playing on the belly
over a ball or bolster, crawling through a tunnel and under
pillows or while on a scooter. There are lots of ways to play
in this position: reaching for toys, swatting bubbles, tossing
bean bags, holding onto a hoop while being pulled on the
scooter and swinging while on the tummy reaching for
daddy's hands.

scooter

This boy is going to push the ball with
a "batter" made from two soda bottles.

Children with low muscle tone (floppy like
a rag doll) especially benefit from being on
the belly and fast movement such as bouncing
on a ball. The ideal activities provide deep
tactile pressure, proprioceptive and vestibular
input. Diving off a board while wearing a wet
suit would provide tactile, proprioceptive and
vestibular stimulation at the same time.

A key word in the above paragraph is
"deep" because if the tactile is not a
good tight bear hug deep pressure,
the child may find find it quite unpleasant.
This child is receiving good tactile
pressure simply by playing on the rug with bare
arms. The weight of his body on supported arms provides
proprioceptive input that helps promote muscle tone.

Some of the best stimulation is provided by a suspended
inner tube. The tube moves in a linear or rotary direction
vestibular stimulation), bounces (proprioceptive stimulation),
the child's hands and feet rub across a carpet (tactile
stimulation) while the child reaches for toys (visual stimulation).
Such multi-sensory stimulation can be very effective in
promoting an optimal arousal level and function.

putty

Fine motor activities that offer "resistance" also provide
proprioceptive and tactile input. Resistive activities make
the child work. Offer crayons instead of markers. Have
your child color on paper over sand paper so that she has
to really press down hard. Squeezing glue and paint bottles,
pumping air into a balloon or tire, pulling long strips of Velcro
off the backing, stretching rubber bands to make a ball and
pulling pennies out of putty to push into a tennis ball all
require good muscle work. Working vertically at a chalk or
white board instead of the table makes the arms work and
puts the wrist in a great position for grasping writing utensils.

The Fussy Eater

Many children with sensory defensiveness are fussy eaters.
They avoid strong flavors and mushy sauces. These children
may hate to brush their teeth and a messybaby

visit to the dentist is
a nightmare for parents and dentist. Your child
might enjoy the deep pressure of the X-Ray
shield and a squeeze toy during such visits.
Crunchy foods, gum and sucking thick liquids
through a straw or water bottle all provide
deep pressure input to the mouth. Rub your
child's face with a terry cloth before meals and be happy if she
tolerates food on the face and makes a mess. Sensory stimulation
can also be provided with a toy whistle, harmonica, blowing
blowing a pin wheel, kazoo, bubbles and sucking on juicicles.
Some children enjoy vibration around the mouth but let the child
do this herself to guide how long she can tolerate it. Special
tubing and toys are sold for children who who crave sensory
input in the the mouth. Please visit the resource sections.

Sensory Integration and Visual Difficulties

Vision requires both good eyesight (to read the small letters on the
Snellen chart) and good processing in the brain to make functional
use of the eyesight. Sensory integration and in particular vestibular
processing influences visual processing. The close connection
between the visual and vestibular system can be easily understood
when you get nauseous just by watching a movie of an airplane
zipping around the Grand Canyon.

Children who have dysfunction in sensory integration
may also have difficulties perceiving where their
body is in space and other spatial relationships such
as how numbers fill up a space on graph paper and
letters sit on the writing line. Some children do not
develop a hand preference, confuse right and left
and avoid crossing an imaginary line going down
the center of the body called the "midline". Such children
with weak sensory integration and directionality skills may read
and write with letter and word reversals.

Common Reversals

b   and     d                g and     p

n   and u        was   and   saw


J Y    Z 9     7

writing

Occupation therapists provide activities to
promote sensory integration which in turn
impacts paper and pencil skills. An example
would be reaching with the right hand for a
bean bag placed on the left side and then
reaching with the left hand for a bean bag placed on the
right, all done while swinging on the belly. The therapist
and child can use the words "right" and "left" during this
activity to reinforce directionality concepts. Children with
visual processing problems may also struggle with puzzles,
tying shoes, playing ball, drawing, board games, finding an
object embedded in a busy background (figure-ground
discrimination), recognizing an object, shape or picture
when shown a portion (visual closure discrimination) and
judging distances between people and objects and themselves.

Vision is so complicated, let's explore more!
Promoting Visual Skills
Barbara's Perceptual Games
Visual Perceptual Activities

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