Sensory integration therapy


For most of us, combining our various senses comes naturally. Autistic children however do not have this ability, and thus coordinating stimuli from the senses of sight, smell, sound, touch, taste, balance and body in space can be overwhelming. To avoid being over-stimulated, these children will often withdraw, or develop a pattern of self-soothing behaviour that is a method of coping in the world.

To help autistic children learn to behave more like other children, occupational therapists often use sensory integration therapy. This involves placing the child in a specially designed room which is created to stimulate all the senses at once. The therapist guides the child through the room, encouraging him or her to try all the activities. The four key principles which are the basis of occupational therapy are:
  • The activities must be within the child’s capabilities (Just Right Challenge)
  • The child must adapt new methods of behaviour to adapt to the challenges (Adaptive Response)
  • The challenges must be presented in such way to entice the child to participate (Active Engagement)
  • The child initiates the therapeutic methods each session (Child Directed)

The purpose of sensory integration therapy is to enable an autistic child to learn to process sensory information, so that he or she will be neither over- or under-stimulated by his surroundings. The goal is to allow the child to function through routine daily activities.

Given the above four principles, a room used in sensory integration therapy must be inviting and welcoming to the child. The child must be internally driven to play and to cooperate with the occupational therapist as he or she asks him to perform certain tasks. Some activities the therapists might use include:

  • swinging in a hammock (movement through space);
  • dancing to music (sound);
  • playing in boxes filled with beans (touch);
  • crawling through tunnels (touch and movement through space);
  • hitting swinging balls (eye-hand coordination); and
  • balancing on a beam (balance).
Sensory Integration can be performed at home by a parent employing some of the tactics used in therapy. The important thing is to encourage the child to do something that he enjoys doing and wants to do, while at the same time challenging his senses. Examples of items parents can use at home include swing sets, a ball pit, a sandbox or a tunnel.

DreamGYM™ indoor jungle gyms are a perfect tool for sensory integration therapy at home.