Every piece of information we receive about the world comes through our senses. The term sensory integration refers to the neurological process of taking in and organizing sensations from the sensory systems. Sensory information converges in the brain and that information must be localized, sorted, ordered, and organized so that it is meaningful and usable. We receive massive amounts of sensory input from the world around us and from our bodies everyday. Our survival, safety and ability to learn are all dependent on sensory information and the integration of that information. Efficient sensory integration is critical to developing good self-regulation, to the development of social skills, to learning to move the body in a skillful manner, and to the ability to access learning. the sensory systems are: Auditory, Visual, Taste (Gustatory), Tactile, Balance and Movement (Vestibular) system; Muscle and Joint Sense (Proprioception), Introception (stimuli from internal organs, etc.).

Sensory Integrative Dysfunction:

When the process of sensory integration is disordered or inefficient, problems in learning, motor development, coordination, socialization, or behavior may occur. Some common "red flags" for sensory integration problems are:

Overly sensitive to touch, movements, sights, or sounds
Under-reactivity to sensory input, poor discrimination of input
Coordination problems
Delays in academic achievement, in motor skills, or in self-care and daily living skills
Unusually high or low activity level
Poor organization of behavior
Poor self concept

Sensory Integrative Treatment:

• Therapy using a sensory integrative approach is provided by a therapist who has special training in sensory integration theory and treatment
• This child or adult is guided through activities that challenge his or her ability to integrate and respond to sensory input by making a more successful organized response
• Therapy often involves activities that especially provide vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile sensory input and is designed to meet the individual's specific needs for development. Education and a home program are part of the treatment process
• When the underlying neurological processing dysfunction is identified and addressed, children and adults are often able to function more successfully.

• Decreased need to stimulate or injure self
• Improved ability to pay attention, participate, and learn
• Increased independence in functional activities
• Spontaneous expression of new skills and abilities
• Improved social skills
• Decreased fear and anxiety
• Improved communication
• Improved ability to handle distractions and interruptions
• Improved ability to adjust to changes
• Improved ability to experience joy and have more fun
• Increased positive interaction with others
• Improved ability to influence situations and take advantage of choices and training, work and employment, and community integration opportunities

Benefits for service providers and families:

• Able to be hopeful, see individual's strengths and potential to improve - effort rewarded
• Able to concentrate on training or educational activities rather than needing to manage challenging behaviors
• Able to utilize community based, more natural learning experiences in which it is easier to develop functional skills
• Improved survey results, time can be spent helping individuals instead of working on correction plans
• Can make more efficient use of staff time and effort, available equipment and materials
• Can enjoy individuals and have fun doing things together

This program is often part of a home program for persons working with sensory integrative therapy. The Therapeutic Listening Program draws on the work of Alfred Tomatis, M.D. and uses Samonas Sound Therapy, CDS, produced by acoustic engineer Ingo Steinbach of Lamdoma Studios in Germany. The program is followed as a home program using high impedance headphones and a sequenced series of Sound Therapy CDS which are specially recorded and spectrally activated. The music and sounds of nature are processed through the Lambdoma envelope curve modulator, which contain a complex overtone frequency matrix and include frequencies up to 29KHz. These overtones energize and invigorate the brain, central nervous system and ultimately the whole body, and can result in improvement in many areas, such as:

• balance
• self-regulation
• processing information
• motor skills
• attention
• sleep
• learning abilities
• perceptual skills
• ability to pay attention/to focus

• Interactive Metronome (IM) program is a personal computer-based training technology designed to improve the processing skills vital to motor planning, sequencing and attention.
• The IM combines the principles of the traditional music metronome with computer technology. Hand and foot sensors relay information about the user's performance to the computer during training. Headphones provide immediate computer generated auditory feedback to the user on performance accuracy.
• The program continually monitors each person's ongoing performance and automatically adjusts the difficulty parameters to keep training both challenging and rewarding. This allows each person to work at their own optimum learning speed. Through immediate auditory feedback on timing error, the program guides the user to attend closely, self-correct and improve performance continually.
• Results achieved in IM research studies are based on training programs which typically involve 15 one-hour sessions, completed within a 5-week period of time.
• The program internally records and compiles data, tracks each user's performance through post-training progress, and monitors their session to session training performance.
• Gains that have been noted with use of this program include improved attention and mental clarity, improved motor sequencing and planning, smoother gait, improve academic performance, improved language skills, rapid acquisition of new athletic skills and decreased anxiety.
• Case studies monitored over a 5-year period indicate that gains and improvements are residual.

For more information on the Sensory Integration Therapy program at Rice Rehab:
lsti@rice.willmar.mn.us or (320) 231-4175