Resources

• A Sample Sensory Diet - The following guidelines represent a kind of sensory diet for one particular child. Keep in mind that every child has a different regulatory and sensory profile, and that these activities are not appropriate or useful for every child. You should get guidance from an occupational therapist or other individual who is experienced with sensory integration.

• Cameron's Special Ts - Weighted T-shirts and accessories for children with special needs.

• DRM WebWatcher: Movement Disorders  - People living with neurologic movement disorders have difficulty controlling voluntary movement. They may have disordered or excessive movement (e.g., a tremor or a tic), slowness, or a lack of movement (e.g., Parkinson's disease). Movement disorders include ataxia, dystonia, essential tremor, Huntington's disease, Shy-Drager syndrome, myoclonus, Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, restless legs syndrome, Rett syndrome, spasticity, tardive dyskinesia/dystonia, tics/Tourette's syndrome, and Wilson's disease.

• Interview with Lorna Jean King - Interview with the occupational therapy pioneer of SPD therapy for people with autism.

• Description of Sensory Integration -Sensory Integration (SI) therapy is a sensory-motor treatment based upon theories developed over the last 30 years by Dr. A. Jean Ayres. Proponents theorize that sensory integration is an innate neurobiological process (Hatch-Rasmussen, 1995), and that children with autism and other developmental delays experience dysfunction in which sensory input is not integrated or organized appropriately by the brain. Fisher and Murray (1991) describe sensory integration as both "a neurological process, and a theory of the relationship between the neurological process and behavior".

• Mealtime Hints for Children with Food Aversion - My almost 2 year old surviving triplet has always had some feeding problems but when they suddenly got worse, I was panicked.  He went from eating anything that had chunks up to the size of a grain of rice and anything crunchy, to only being able to eat the smoothest purees and a limited amount of crunchy things.  I started collecting as much information as I could to try to overcome these sensitivities. This is a compilation of that information.

• My Experiences with Visual Thinking Sensory Problems and Communication Difficulties - by Temple Grandin, Ph.D. In this paper, I will describe my experiences with autism. The main areas I will cover are visual thinking, sensory problems, and difficulties with communication. After I describe my experiences, I will discuss the similarities and differences between myself and other people with an autism diagnosis. There is probably a continuum of autism subtypes that vary in the pattern of neurological abnormality and the severity of neurological problems.

• Oral Defensiveness Activities - Young children who have feeding issues related to sensory integration disorder, tactile defensiveness, and poor motor coordination can benefit from stimulation activities at home by parents. Parents of children born prematurely who have sensory integration issues found these activities to be helpful.

• Physical Disability, Sensory Needs and Occupational Therapy Strategy 2004-2007 - The overall aim of this strategy is to promote the independence and empowerment of physically disabled people and people with sensory loss, and to support informal/unpaid careers involved in this work. This aim reflects the aspirations of physically disabled people and people with sensory loss as expressed consistently in consultations over recent years. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

• The Quiet Quilt Lap Quilt - can be used to calm your special needs child when he/she has to attend to school work, computer time or any other time when focus is necessary. One parent has said that the lap quilt is helpful when they go out to dinner, and even at the dentist!

• Raising Your Sensory Smart Child: A Parent's Guide to Sensory Integration Dysfunction - An informative web site written by a parent of a child with sensory integration dysfunction and a pediatric occupational therapist; provides a practical, hands-on guide for parents, addressing questions such as how to find an occupational therapist.

• S.I. Focus Magazine - A quarterly print magazine for parents and professionals, covering research, products, upcoming conferences, personal experiences, and more.

• Sensory Integration - Children and adults with autism, as well as those with other developmental disabilities, may have a dysfunctional sensory system. Sometimes one or more senses are either over- or under-reactive to stimulation. Such sensory problems may be the underlying reason for such behaviors as rocking, spinning, and hand-flapping. Although the receptors for the senses are located in the peripheral nervous system (which includes everything but the brain and spinal cord), it is believed that the problem stems from neurological dysfunction in the central nervous system--the brain. As described by individuals with autism, sensory integration techniques, such as pressure-touch can facilitate attention and awareness, and reduce overall arousal. Temple Grandin, in her descriptive book, Emergence: Labeled Autistic, relates the distress and relief of her sensory experiences.

• Sensory Integration (SI) - The theories behind sensory integration (SI) were first developed by an occupational therapist and researcher, Jean Ayres. In the U.S. and Canada, many OTs are at least familiar with the principles of SI, although technically to practice it one must have completed special training and attained a certificate from Sensory Integration International. SII will provide parents with a list of trained therapists and evaluators.

• Sensory Integration and Autism - An occupational therapist offers an explanation of sensory integration and autism.

• Sensory Integration Dysfunction - Carol Kranowitz is the author of the Out-of-Sync Child, the popular book on sensory integration dysfunction written for parents. In this book, Carol Kranowitz provides explanations, examples and treatment strategies for different types of sensory integration issues in children - including oversensitivity and undersensitivity to touch, taste, smell, sound, or sight, and/or to movement sensations, unusual activity levels, and problems with motor coordination.

• Sensory Integration and Your Child - Sensory integration occurs in every person all the time.  If we picture our minds as being like a highway, then our senses function like on-ramps with traffic signals.  For most people the traffic signals only give a green light to information that is important or relevant to the focus of our mental highway from moment to moment.  Other information gathered by the senses gets the red light and is kept from cluttering the mental highway.

• Sensory Integration Education & Resource Foundation - SIERF provides education and support to parents and professionals involved in SPD issues. It also strives to link those who need information or funding with available resources.

• Sensory Integration Help - A web site full of information about Sensory Processing Disorder; also hosts several email-based support and discussion groups.

• Sensory Learning - The Bolles Sensory Learning Method is an innovative noncognitive approach to developmental learning that utilizes Enhanced Natural Sensory Stimulation for remediation of an individual's Acquired Brain-Skills. This educational method is highly successful across a wide spectrum of populations because our brains are more alike than they are different. This approach re-educates Acquired Brain-Skills by stimulating the participant's sensory systems to learn or relearn subconscious reception, processing and integration skills. The beneficial outcomes of the Bolles Sensory Learning Method are long lasting and continue to accrue over time.

• SPD Parent Connections - (SPD PC) is a grassroots network that provides support, information, and understanding to anyone who lives with a child who has a Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or wants to learn more about these developmental disorders.

• Sensory Processing Network - Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a complex disorder of the brain. People with SPD misinterpret everyday sensory information, such as touch, sound, and movement. This can lead to behavioral problems, difficulties with coordination, and many other issues.

• The Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Directory- To meet the needs of parents and others who are looking for services for children and adults with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), the KID Foundation was recently funded to develop the Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Directory. The Resource Directory includes nationwide listings of a wide variety of service providers — from hair salons to occupational therapists and pediatricians — who are experienced in working with people with SPD.

• Sensory Resources - Thank you for visiting the Sensory Resources website. Make us your first choice for answers on sensory integration and sensory processing. We specialize in sensory issues, and we are dedicated to providing you with: * High quality* Excellent service* Reasonable prices* Practical, useful, and accurate information.

• SNOEZELEN® World-wide Foundation - ROMPA® has been at the forefront of developing new products and concepts to improve the quality of life of people with sensory difficulties for more than 18 years.

• Tactile Defensiveness Activities - Sensory integration activities for tactile defensiveness in children.

• Theragifts  -Welcome to Theragifts- A division of Kidz Play Pediatric Therapy and Wellness Center, LLC Specializing in Sensory Integrative Services Are you tired of running around looking for sensory diet products, well give your feet a rest. Come explore our web site.

• Tomatis Method AIT - The Tomatis Method builds strong listening skills through auditory stimulation, to improve learning and language abilities, communication, creativity, and social behavior)