Sensory Integration Disorder: 8月 2012

2012年8月31日星期五

What You Should Know About Tactile Defensiveness and Other Tactile System Disorders

One of the most common sensory disorders is Tactile Defensiveness. With this condition, a child is over or "hyper" sensitive to different types of touch. Light touch is one of the most upsetting types of touch to a child with SI dysfunction. Depending on the intensity of their dysfunction, they may become anywhere from mildly annoyed to completely freaked out by having someone lightly touch them. A gentle kiss on the cheek may feel like they are having coarse sandpaper rubbed on their face. They also may dislike feeling sand, grass or dirt on their skin. Getting dressed may be a struggle as different clothing textures, tags and seams may cause them great discomfort.

Often children with Tactile Defensiveness or touch hypersensitivity will avoid, become fearful of, or are irritated by:

The wind blowing on bare skin
Light touch
Vibrating toys
Barefoot touching of carpet, sand and/or grass
Clothing textures
Tags and seams on clothing
Touching of "messy" things
Changes in temperature

On the other side of the spectrum is a child with Tactile Undersensitivity or "Hyposensitivity". A tactile undersensitive child need a lot of input to get the touch information he or she needs. They will often seek out tactile input on their own in sometimes unsafe ways.

A child who is undersensitive to touch may have these difficulties:

Emotional and social - Craves touch to the extent that friends, family, and even strangers become annoyed and upset. This could be the baby who constantly needs to be held, or the toddler who is clingy, craving continual physical contact.

Sensory exploration - Makes excessive physical contact with people and objects. Touching other children too forcefully or inappropriately (such as biting or hitting).

Motor - To get more tactile sensory information, he may need to use more of his skin surface to feel he's made contact with an object.

Grooming and dressing - May choose clothing that is, in your opinion, unacceptably tight or loose. He may brush his teeth so hard that he injures his gums.

If you child shows signs of Tactile Defensiveness or Undersensitivity, it's important to get a proper screening by an Occupational Therapist, pediatrician or other licensed professional. This sensory assessment will help you in seeking out the proper course of treatment and therapy.

Visit [http://www.SensorySmartKid.com] for more information and support regarding Sensory Integration, PDD and other Autism Spectrum Disorders.

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Gifted Children - Do They Have Sensory Sensitivities?

Gifted children are a joy and wonder to watch as they effortlessly progress through many different facets of growth and development. Their intellectual capabilities are far beyond those of their peer age group. They possess outstanding abilities and are capable of performing at astonishingly higher levels of performance when compared to other children. Although there are many standardized tests of intelligence that help educators and professionals accurately identify gifted students, parents usually recognize their advanced development first.

It is very likely that most parents recognize that there is something unique and special about their gifted child during the first three years of life. Gifted children demonstrate extraordinary growth and development skills during this time. They accomplish and surpass expected milestones months or even years before other children their same age. Parents observe their children rapidly progressing through various stages of development and they are often described as "ahead of their age". Some of the signs of a gifted child include:

Many gifted children learn to read earlier than expected and can more easily understand what they read.
They learn basic skills more quickly and apply reasoning at an early age.
They are curious and ask more questions about "how" and "why".
Gifted children usually communicate well verbally with their parents, siblings, peers, and even strangers -- and they usually have an expanded vocabulary.
They appear to be very organized and efficient.
Gifted children enjoy a challenge and seek opportunities to grow developmentally and solve new problems.
They are able to understand abstract ideas, non-verbal communication, and other types of communication.
These are just some of the potential characteristics of gifted children. There are many more signs that indicate a child has a special talent and ability to learn, communicate, grow, and develop. Parents and teachers who recognize these signs will often give gifted children many more opportunities to learn and excel.
But recent studies also indicate that gifted children may suffer from sensory sensitivities more often than their non-gifted peers. Based on his research, W. Roedell, in his article published in Roeper Review, theorizes that the gifted child often has intense sensitivity. This means that gifted children may undergo more stress due to their inability to effectively process some of the sensory signals travelling through their bodies and to their brains.

To understand what this means, it is important to understand how sensory integration works. Sensory integration is the ability for people to process sensory data and information collected from the five senses and from the environment surrounding them. It is a neurological process that carries the stimuli to the brain where it is processed, organized, and evaluated for usable information or actions. When sensory integration is interrupted or does not function properly, it is like a mis-fire or mis-cue to the brain. Pieces or parts of information are missing and it is difficult for the brain to process the data. This can result in problems with daily living skills, academic progress, or social interactions.

While parents may be swelled with pride and adoration as they watch their young gifted child grow and develop - and justifiably so - they may overlook this important aspect of their child's development and behaviour. They may believe that their child has difficulty socializing with peers because "he is just smarter than they are" or "he needs more mature interactions". Unfortunately, the real problem may be that he may be experiencing sensory integration dysfunction and it is too difficult for the child to engage in social interactions, develop friendships, or enjoy activities with other children.

If a gifted child is affected by sensory integration challenges, it is possible that he or she may have more functional problems than other children. They could become more aggressive, impulsive, withdrawn, and introverted than other children. They do not experience the gratification and developmental processes associated with healthy social interactions because they do not participate in social activities as often.

So where does all of this information and data lead us when it comes to helping gifted children overcome sensory integration dysfunction, or teaching them to manage through some of the challenges associated with this issue?

Educators, therapists, and counselors must be keenly aware of this issue and must evaluate gifted children carefully to assess whether or not it is a problem. Utilizing this information when developing and observing children in classroom settings, activities, and social activities becomes vital to understanding any special needs of gifted children.

For example, although gifted children may be well above their peers in intellectual capacity and application, they may experience more sensitivity and have difficulty processing certain noises, sights, or sounds. They may find that bright fluorescent lighting creates a feeling of confusion or anxiety for the gifted child. Turning down the lights to accommodate the child may help. If the child is more sensitive to loud noises, then playing music at a lower volume or speaking in a softer tone may be beneficial. Parents and teachers both need to understand the sensory stimulus that affects a child and help the child learn to deal with the challenge. But they must also teach the child how to cope with the sensory sensitivities in various ways.

In "Sensory Sensitivities of Gifted Children", there is an indepth view and analysis into this topic. The theories and hypotheses that are addressed through various researchers indicates that gifted children may have different sensory modulations (or different ways of processing sensory stimuli) than those who are not gifted. W. Roedell theorizes that "gifted children's unique challenges and skills are likely embedded in a neurological system that perceives and responds to the environment differently from children of typical intelligence."

As parents, teachers, and professionals, we must learn to understand the gifted child better and evaluate whether or not sensory integration challenges are present. This also means that we must find tools and resources to help gifted children manage their sensory challenges so they can focus, concentrate, and become more socially engaged. Until now, many educators and professionals believed that sensory integration dysfunction was a problem associated with children who had ADHD, hyperactivity, or other disorders. This new research opens up a whole new world of possibilities to provide the gifted child with better guidance and resources related to the sensory processing.

Rather than assume a gifted child is just acting inappropriately in a social environment, or that the child has behavior problems, or even that the child just doesn't want to play with children his own age due to his higher intelligence level, parents and professionals should explore the tools, resources, and information that can better assess and uncover the real problem. A higher intellectual capacity is just one aspect of a gifted child's life and world. They excel above their peers in this area, but they may also experience psychosocial issues that deter them from engaging in vital and rewarding developmental social interactions with others.

Accessing information and tools to support the growth and development in all aspects of the gifted child's life is an important part of the educational and nurturing process. For further information on research or resources related to gifted children and sensory sensitivities, or sensory processing difficulties, refer to the full studies noted in this article.

References:

Roedell, W. (1984). Vulnerabilities of highly gifted children. Roeper Review, 6, 127-130.

Miller, L., Anzalone, M., Lane, S., Cermak, S., & Osten, E. (2007). Concept evolution in sensory integration: A proposed nosology for diagnosis. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 135-140.

Gere, D. R., Capps, S. C., Mitchell, D.W. & Grubbs, E. (2009) Sensory sensitivities of gifted children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, 288-295.

Debbie Hopper, an accredited occupational therapist, has a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Sydney. Debbie is passionate about her mission of researching, evaluating, and making the most valuable resources and tools easily accessible to parents, teachers, and therapists.

With post-graduate training in sensory integration assessment and intervention, Debbie brings significant focus to this area of growth and development through LifeSkills4Kids.com.au. Debbie's passion gives her a relentless drive and motivation to continually research new and innovative resources to help children learn and benefit from all life skills.

To sign up to our newsletter, visit us at http://www.lifeskills4kids.com.au

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2012年8月30日星期四

Living With Sensory Processing Disorder - A Family Affair

I. A child's view on how SPD effects family relationships

Living and coping with a disorder can often consume a child's world. For children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), this can be especially challenging as most children with SPD are seemingly "normal". Many people do not often realize that these normal-looking children could be plagued by such an emotionally, physically and socially taxing disorder. Emily Brout knows all too well how difficult it is to explain her disorder: "Sometimes it is really hard to explain what Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is to other people. It's very complicated and it's not even easy for me to understand! Many people don't know anything at all about SPD because there hasn't been a lot written about it or on T.V. So most people have no idea how SPD makes a person like me feel. In fact, there are many people who don't even think SPD is real! That makes me so mad! Why would anybody make this up?"

Having SPD makes family life and social time with friends tough on Emily. "SPD makes me feel like I'm being attacked by noises, smells, and lights every day. Smells can be really bad, and sometimes even make me throw up. It is very hard to sit in the cafeteria with my friends at school and try to hide the fact that I am gagging because of a smell. Noises are the worst for me. Quiet noises that repeat over and over make me really upset, and these noises are part of every day life. My sister and brother get mad at me because I yell at them for noises that they make. Sometimes, I get really sad and don't want to go anywhere. I also lose my temper and get really mad at people. I don't do this on purpose, but my friends and family don't always realize that. I just cannot help it. Every day I struggle to keep myself calm even though I feel scared, mad and upset on and off, all day."

Coping with a special need such as Sensory Processing Disorder can be equally frustrating to both the child and his or her family.

II. A parent's perspective on raising a child with SPD

Emily's mom, psychologist Dr. Jennifer Brout, can identify with trying to cope with raising a child who has a special need and maintaining her family dynamics. "A wise professor once told me 'Your primary goal is to not make things worse'. As I consulted psychologists and psychiatrists alike, I wondered if there were any clinicians who even understood what Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) was!" said Brout. "My daughter received Occupational Therapy to remediate her symptoms, yet her personality and our family dynamics had already been shaped by the disorder's complications." Dealing with this frustration and lack of help from mental health professionals who had no real treatment for her daughter, Brout often wondered, "was there anyone out there who would understand that I was not simply giving in to my daughter's 'manipulations' because I was a browbeaten mother lacking any savvy?"

Everyday life posed so many difficulties and heartache for Brout, as a parent who had to watch her child struggle with SPD. "Although her other senses were affected, extreme over-reactivity to certain sounds caused my otherwise sociable, empathic sweet-natured little girl to be unpredictably moody and explosive. During toddler hood and early childhood she threw tantrums that lasted for prolonged periods of time. She was extremely clingy, and often appeared sad. Background noises that most people didn't notice set her off into rages." Not being able to ease a child's suffering could leave any parent feeling helpless. Brout remembers one of those moments with Emily, "when she was six years old she looked at me and said 'When I hear bad noises I feel like I'm turning into the Incredible Hulk'. Then she asked intently, 'Mommy, can you fix my brain?' This moment defined the extent to which my daughter was suffering, and how negatively her self-image had been impacted by SPD. What little girl should envision herself as a huge, green, out of control mutant?"

What can a parent do? How can a parent mediate Sensory Processing Disorder within family life?

For parents coping with their child's SPD, Brout offers this advice, "it is helpful to remind yourself that with Occupational Therapy, sensory integration treatment, and as he or she gets older, your child will be able to implement greater control over his or her behavioral reactions to his or her physiological responses. In the meantime, however, regulation (calming the child so that he or she is not over stimulated and agitated) is the first priority." She goes on to suggest that in order to make this shift, "you must allow yourself to dismiss much of what you have been told about parenting, even by mental health professionals, because it does not apply to SPD children. For now, think of your child as one whose body over-reacts to sensory stimuli, and who is deficient in calming down." When faced with an agitated child whose behavior is effecting family life, Brout suggests using the three R's: Regulate, Reason and Reassure

Regulate: "Help your over-responsive child calm down by identifying the source of the sensory stimuli, and shift the focus from any resulting conflict. As a child develops greater language and cognitive skills this process becomes easier. However, even younger children with limited language skills can be regulated. Each child is unique which is why it is essential to consult with a professional."

Reason: "Once your child is calm, review the incident with him focusing on his thought processes. If he cannot identify the stimuli that triggered his actions, try to do it for him by making suggestions. For younger children, you will have to go through this process with relative simplicity and brevity. With enough consistency your child will understand your message, and will also learn that when he or she is over-stimulated, calming down is the first step! Remember, this process is not an over-night cure!"

Reassure: Remind yourself that your child does not like feeling out of control. Reassure him that over time he will gain control, and that you will help him. Let him know that you expect him to try as hard as he can, but protect his self-esteem and self-image by framing the problem as though it were 'a work in progress'. Repairing damaged self-esteem and poor self-image is much more difficult than reshaping a child's misconstrued ideas about the causes and consequences of behavior. No child should see himself as a huge out of control green mutant being that repels others!"

In regard to family dynamics, Dr. Brout states, "the SPD child feels victimized by the overwhelming sensory stimuli generated by family members. However, siblings are also likely to feel victimized having often been the object of the over-responsive child's mood swings and/or aggression. Therefore, it is important to let siblings know that they are not responsible for these problems and that you are doing everything you can to get help for your over-responsive child and for the family. Behavior is not only about actions and consequences. It is about interpersonal relationships and that is especially true in regard to SPD as it affects family functioning."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Jennifer Jo Brout, Ed.M., Psy.D. is a psychologist focused on Sensory Processing Disorders and their application to mental health. She earned an Ed.M. in School Psychology from Columbia University and a Psy.D in School/Clinical Child Psychology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Brout is currently involved with projects at the KID Foundation Research Institute, Duke University, and in association with audiologists and private clinicians throughout the country.

In 2006, Dr. Brout launched Positive Solutions of New York, LLC to support research in psychological conditions, developmental disorders, and learning difficulties related to sensory processing/regulatory disorders through various creative and public service projects.

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Sensory Integration Therapy

Over the years, many studies have demonstrated a link between sensory integration therapy and improving the quality of life for autistic people.

Sensory integration therapy is a valuable tool to teach autistic children how to interact with their environment. One of the main difficulties autistic children face is how they perceive the environment. Oftentimes, their sensory impulses are contradictory to what is expected by society.

Autistic children often have severe difficulty managing their sensory perceptions and a host of seemingly self-destructive behaviors or actions that are perceived to be senseless is the result. Autistic people sometimes cannot perceive their own physicality and must resort to these behaviors to "feel" something. For instance, some autistic children may bang their head against a wall or spin around in circles. Others have been known to self harm or crash into objects. These behaviors are the direct result of sensory integration impairment.

The process of sensory integration therapy seeks to mitigate these behaviors by teaching how to incorporate information gathered through the senses: smell, taste, touch, hearing, and vision, and combine these stimuli with what is already know to produce proper responses.

As with levels of severity of autism, there are also different levels in which autistic children experience sensory integration dysfunction (SID). These levels range from mild to severe and can either manifest in a lack of sensitivity to the environment or a constant state of over-sensitivity.

Sensory integration therapy seeks to teach the nervous system how to process stimuli in a normalized fashion. A. Jean Ayers, Ph.D., was the first to research the process known as sensory integration therapy. She built the foundation of the therapy that has been instrumental in helping autistic children all over the world. Using a variety of sensory and motor exercises for the central nervous system it is actually possible to teach the brain how to accomplish this.

Typically, an occupational therapist or physical therapist is the professional that practices sensory integration therapy. Using various techniques it is possible to improve concentration, listening skills, physical balance, motor functioning, and impulse control in autistic children.

While it is not successful in 100% of cases, sensory integration therapy has been shown to be a valuable tool for helping those with autism cope with their environment and lead a better, more adjusted life. Each autistic child has different symptoms and it is necessary to devise a plan for each individual when initiating sensory integration therapy.

If you wish to find a sensory integration specialist for your child, there are a number of ways you can go about it.

First, you can ask the guidance department at your local public or private school. If you know someone else who has an autistic child in sensory integration therapy, it is always recommended to get a word of mouth referral.

In addition, there is contact information for leading organizations that deal with sensory integration therapy and autism.

Sensory Integration International, located at 1602 Cabrillo Avenue, Torrance, CA 90501, is an excellent place to begin. Their phone number is (310) 533-8338. If you are looking for an actual practitioner, try the American Occupational Therapy Association, located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD, 20824. You can contact them by phone at this number: (301) 652-2682.

It is important to keep a positive frame of mind when dealing with autism. There is constant research and valuable studies that are shedding light onto this disorder and finding new and innovative ways to treat it.

Sensory integration therapy should not be used as a standalone treatment. Diet, nutrition, and fun methods of learning can all help autistic children interact with the social world in a more productive fashion.

Sign up for Rachel Evans' free Autism Newsletter - dedicated to uncovering autism facts and discover more about the various autism treatments available, all of which are covered in Rachel's comprehensive E-book available at http://www.essential-guide-to-autism.com

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The Miracle Cure for Wearing Clothes & Shoes for a Finicky Kid

My son Jeremy will almost be six years old next week. For the first 5 ¾ years of his life, putting his shoes and socks and clothes on was a struggle. It isn't anymore. We've come across a miracle cure!!!

Jeremy was diagnosed this past year with Sensory Integration Disorder. He started having problems in school and so we were referred to a place called Lifeskills, in Winter Park, FL. They work with many kids with challenges and specialize in Sensory issues.

The problems we encountered at home were on a daily basis. Getting him out of bed was a struggle, finding the right breakfast and ultimately, we dreaded getting him dressed every day. Socks and shoes were constantly being pulled off and tossed. Clothes were never soft enough and the tags all had to go. I spent hundreds of dollars finding clothes and shoes that he'd keep on his body. Once, Jeremy struggled so hard with pulling off his coat, he slipped and fell, and bumped his head on a chair. That little incident cost him 15 stitches in his head.

When we entered therapy we outlined the laundry list of issues Jeremy had. The big one for us was getting him dressed. Once the therapist gave us the occupational therapy brush and showed us how to brush his arms and legs up and down and his feet, and then to do joint compressions. This brushing is actually a deep pressure massage with a surgical brush and is followed by joint compressions. An occupational therapist can train you once and you'll use it at home. (You can find an OT by going through the school counselor or through your family doctor). It was only 2 -3 of days of brushing Jeremy a few times a day before Jeremy was able to adjust quickly to his shoes when we put them on in the morning.

It's been like a miracle! Jeremy can now wear clothes and will put on socks and keep them there! He still prefers silky clothes like football jersey's but he will put on socks now and not scream and cry. Before we learned of this type of massage it must have felt like he was putting a wool sweater on during the middle of August.

Learning this technique and others at occupational therapy has been a God send in our lives. We used to dread every morning getting Jeremy up and ready for school. We were late nearly every day depending upon what clothes I could find that would feel comfortable.

Now, Jeremy dresses himself on most days and our greatest concern is what to make him for breakfast. We still struggle occasionally getting him out of bed, but from what I understand, THAT could be a struggle well into his teen years. And as long as we don't to dress him then, I think we'll be fine with that!

Mary Gardner is an executive Communications Consultant and coach. She is parenting a child with SID and is constantly learning and sharing with other moms who are struggling with the same issues. Please feel free to contact mary at mary@marygardner.com if you would like to share your story.

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ADHD Comorbid Disorder: Non-Verbal Learning Disorder

It's so easy to associate inattention or hyperactivity with ADHD comorbid disorders, especially when you consider how similar their symptoms are. Take nonverbal learning disorder (NLD), for instance. This fairly common disability goes easily undiagnosed because its most obvious symptoms resemble the non-stop talking often found in children with ADHD.

So what's the difference between a child with nonverbal learning disorder and a child with ADHD? The first thing you should know is that children with NLD are actually very verbal people - they have mature vocabulary, talk "like adults," have excellent reading ability, and demonstrate good rote memory skills. However, they are clearly deficit in the nonverbal arena. As a preschooler, your child might have trouble getting along with other kids, adapting to new situations, and troublesome but minor fine motor problems. For instance, your child might have incomprehensible handwriting.

During elementary school, your child might do fairly well in terms of academics, except for when a subtle symptom of NLD interferes with socialization or non-academic areas. As your child enters middle school or high school, things start to deteriorate as he is faced with more responsibilities. Teachers find him rude and he gets into fights with classmates because he cannot understand nonverbal cues like facial expressions or body language. Your child has difficulties completing homework, reading an assigned chapter, or writing an essay. Yet your child maintains his articulate speech and precocious language.

Children who have NLD are able to make up for the limitations of their disorder. It only starts to get worse once they hit puberty, when they start to suffer from anxiety or alienation. When they become adults, they experience problems setting priorities or picking up on social cues, or undergo mood disorders, which make it difficult for them to maintain relationships or jobs.

Diagnosing NLD involves a series of speech and language tests, neuropsychological tests, and other evaluation procedures. Since the most obvious symptom of NLD is advanced language skills, doctors usually administer the Brown ADD Scales and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale to distinguish NLD from ADHD. Children with NLD usually have 20 verbal IQ points more than their performance IQ scores.

Just like with ADHD, children with NLD will flourish if they receive holistic treatment. Some therapies that benefit NLD sufferers include:

Social skills groups, which teach children how to meet strangers, greet friends, recognize when they are being teased, etc.
Occupational therapy, an approach that improves fine motor skills and balance.
Sensory integration therapy. Some children with NLD tend to be hypersensitive to stimuli or have difficulties processing multi-sensory stimuli. This can make them feel agitated when confronted by distractions and other sensory stimuli. Sensory integration therapy can help them overcome these setbacks and reduce the anxiety caused by encountering strange sensory information.

Dr. Yannick Pauli is an expert on natural approaches to ADHD and the author of the popular self-help home-program The Unritalin Solution. He is Director of the Centre Neurofit in Lausanne, Switzerland and has a passion taking care of children with ADHD. Click on the link for more great information about ADHD Comorbid Disorder.

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2012年8月29日星期三

Treating the Sensory Problems of Autism

So what is autism? First of all, we must make some distinctions. There are various types of difficulty within the spectrum of disability of which we are speaking. The major distinctions are as follows:

Autism Asperger's syndrome, Rett Syndrom, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. The most prevalent and commonly known two of these are autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

What do we mean when we say autism is a 'spectrum disorder?'

When the term, 'spectrum disorder' is used it means that there are a range of symptoms, which can be attributed to autism. Any one individual may display any combination of these symptoms, in differing degrees of severity. Therefore an individual at one end of the autistic spectrum may seem very different to an individual at the other end of the spectrum.

Who first discovered autism?

Autism was first recognized in the mid 1940's by a psychiatrist called Leo Kanner. He described a group of children, whom he was treating, who presented with some very unusual symptoms such as; - atypical social development, irregular development of communication and language, and recurring / repetitive and obsessional behaviour with aversion to novelty and refusal to accept change. His first thoughts were that they were suffering some sort of childhood psychiatric disorder.

At around the same time that Kanner was grappling with the problems of these children, a German scientist, Hans Asperger was caring for a group of children whose behaviour also seemed irregular. Asperger suggested that these children were suffering from what he termed 'autistic psychopathy. ' These children experienced remarkably similar symptoms to the children described by Kanner, with a single exception. - Their language development was normal! There is still an ongoing debate as to whether autism and Asperger's syndrome are separable conditions, or whether Asperger's syndrome is merely a mild form of autism.

What is the cause of autism?In the 1960s and 1970s there arose a theory that autism was caused by abnormal family relationships. This led on to the 'refrigerator mother' theory, which claimed that autism in the child was caused by cold, emotionless mothers! (Bettleheim, 1967). However the weight of evidence quickly put this theory to bed as evidence was found to support the idea that the real cause was to be found in abnormalities in the brain. This evidence was quickly followed by findings, which clearly demonstrated that the EEG's of children with autism were, in many cases, atypical and the fact that a large proportion of children also suffered from epilepsy.

From this time, autism has been looked upon as a disorder, which develops as a consequence of abnormal brain development. Recently, evidence has shown that in some cases, the abnormal brain development may be caused by specific genes.

However, we should not forget that genes can only express themselves if the appropriate environmental conditions exist for them to do so and so, we should not rule out additional, environmental causes for autism. We should not forget that autism can also be caused by brain-injury, that an insult to the brain can produce the same effects as can abnormal development of the brain, which may have been caused by genetic and other environmental factors. I have seen too many children who have suffered oxygen starvation at birth, who have gone on to display symptoms of autism. So, it is my view that autism can also be caused by brain-injury.

There are also other possibilities, which can ultimately produce the type of brain dysfunction, which we recognize as autism. There is a great deal of research being carried out at the moment in the area of 'oxidative stress' and methylation and it's effects upon the integrity of neural networks. There is also the debate surrounding mercury levels in vaccines, which is as of yet, unresolved.

The fact is that 'many roads lead to Rome. ' - There are likely to be several factors both genetic and environmental, which can ultimately lead to the type of brain dysfunction, which we call autism.

So, how do we recognize autism?

On a descriptive level, autism involves a dysfunction of the brain's systems, which control communication, socialization, imagination and sensory perception. My theory is that it is the distortions of sensory perception, which are so characteristic of autism, which exacerbates many (but not all) of the other difficulties. Imagine a child suffering from autism who suffers distortions of sensory perception. For instance, the child who suffers distortions of visual perception, might find situations which require eye -contact to be exceptionally threatening, or on the other end of the scale might become obsessive about specific visual stimuli. The child who suffers distortions of tactile perception, might at one end of the spectrum find any situation which requires physical contact to be terrifying, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, they might be a 'sensation seeker' to the point of becoming self -injurious. The child who suffers distortions of auditory perception might at one end of the spectrum, be terrified of sounds of a certain pitch or intensity, whereas at the other end of the spectrum, they might actively seek out, or become obsessive about certain sounds.

Treatment

The question is, what can we do to help redress these distortions of sensory perception. Well, we can learn from the newborn baby. When baby is born, he sleeps for most of the time, only spending short periods of time interacting with this new environment in which he finds himself; - a new environment which bombards his senses with new sights, noises and smells. So he retreats into the safe, calm environment of sleep, which provides the sensory safe haven which up until recently was the sanctuary of the womb. Very gradually, as baby adjusts his sensory system to his new environment, he spends more and more time in the waking world, interacting and learning to communicate, - but he adjusts very gradually!

There is possibly a neurological explanation for this. There are structures within the brain, which act to 'tune' sensory attention. These three structures, which allow us to tune our attention are structures, which enables us to 'tune out' background interference when we wish to selectively attend to something in particular. They also enables us to 'tune in' to another stimulus when we are attending to something completely different. They are the same mechanisms of the brain, which allows us to listen to what our friend is saying to us, even when we are standing in the midst of heavy traffic on a busy road. It is these mechanisms that allow us, even though we are in conversation in a crowded room, to hear our name being spoken by someone else across that room. It is these mechanisms, which allow a mother to sleep though various loud, night-time noises such as her husband snoring, or an airplane passing overhead and yet the instant her new baby stirs, she is woken. It is a remarkable feature of the human brain and it is the responsibility of three structures operating cooperatively - these are the ascending reticular activating formation, the thalamus and the limbic system.

Having made such a bold claim, allow me to furnish you with the evidence to support it. The three structures just mentioned receive sensory information from the sense organs and relay the information to specific areas of the cortex. The thalamus in particular is responsible for controlling the general excitability of the cortex (whether that excitability tunes the cortex up to be overexcited, tunes it down to be under excited, or tunes it inwardly to selectively attend to it's own internal sensory world. ) (Carlson, 2007). The performance of these neurological structures, or in the case of our children, their distorted performance seems to be at the root of the sensory problems faced not only by newborn babies, but the sensory difficulties our children face and yes, as the newborn shows, their performance CAN be influenced, - they can be re-tuned.

I believe the sensory system of some children with autism is experiencing similar difficulties to that of a newborn, - at one end of the autistic spectrum, the cortex is being over-excited by these structures and the person is overwhelmed and has difficulty accommodating the mass of sensory stimulation within the environment. At the other end of the autistic spectrum, the cortex is being under-excited and the person has trouble in perceiving sensory stimulation from the environment. The question is; - How do we facilitate the re-tuning of this neurological system in individuals who have autism. The newborn retreats into sleep, a self imposed dampening of incoming sensory information. Whilst the child with autism does not do this, many children with autism attempt to withdraw from their environment because they find it so threatening.

We believe at Snowdrop that for the child at the end of the autistic spectrum who is suffering an amplification of sensory stimulation, we should create a setting where he can retreat from a world, which is overwhelming his immature sensory system. This 'adapted environment,' which should be as free as possible from all visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory stimulation will serve as a milieu where his sensory system can re-tune itself. Of course it may just be a single sense like vision, or hearing, or tactility, or any combination of senses, which are causing the difficulties and the environment may be adapted appropriately. The child suffering these difficulties will usually welcome this adapted environment, which is in effect a 'safe haven' for his immature sensory system. He should be given free access to, or placed within the adapted environment as needed and you will notice hopefully that he will relax and begin to enjoy being within its safe confines, where there are no sensory surprises.

This procedure should be continued for as long as necessary, - for several weeks or months. Indeed, some children might always need periods of time within the 'safe haven. ' As the child begins to accept and be at ease in his safe haven, stimulation in whatever sensory modality is causing the difficulties, should begin to be introduced at a very low level, so low in fact that it is hardly noticeable. If the child tolerates this, then it can be used more frequently until it becomes an accepted part of the sensory environment. If the child reacts negatively in any way, then the stimulus is withdrawn and reintroduced at a later date. In this way, we can very gradually begin to build the level of tolerance, which the child has towards the stimulus.

For the child at the other end of the autistic spectrum, the child whose sensory attentional system is not exciting the cortex enough, with the consequence that he is not noticing enough of the stimulation in his sensory environment, the approach needs to be the exact opposite. These are the children who we see producing self-stimulatory behaviour. I believe that this behaviour is an attempt by the nervous system to provide itself with what it needs from the environment, - a sensory message of greater intensity! We see many children with autism 'flapping' their hands in front of their eyes, or becoming visually obsessed by certain toys, movements, colours etc. I propose that this is a reaction by the nervous system to attempt to increase the intensity, frequency and duration of the sensory stimulus due to a problem with perceiving visual stimuli from the environment.

Of course, children with autism display a far greater range of difficulties than a theory, focused upon a malfunctioning sensory - attentional system could explain. I am not attempting to claim that sensory problems on their own are an adequate explanation for every facet of autism, - that would be ridiculous! This is merely a possible explanation of a range of issues experienced by some children who have autism, which could be produced or exacerbated by the child suffering distortions of sensory perception. For instance, the following symptoms within the autistic spectrum could possibly be explained at the sensory level.

Failure to make eye contact. Difficulty in sharing attention with anyone. Avoiding interaction with others. Avoiding physical contact. Seeming disconnected from the environment. Appearing not to notice anything visually. Visual distraction, as though the child is looking at something which you cannot see. Visual obsession with particular features of the environment. Inability to 'switch' visual attention from one feature of the environment to another. General discomfort with the visual environment. Appearing not to hear anything. Auditory distraction, as though listening to something which you cannot hear. Auditory obsession with particular sounds within the environment. Inability to 'switch' auditory attention from one sound within the environment to another. Inability to 'tune out' extraneous sounds in the environment. General discomfort with the auditory environment. Appearing not to feel much sensation. Appearing to bee distracted by tactile stimuli of which you are not aware. Obsession with particular tactile sensations within the environment. Appears unable to 'switch' tactile attention from one sensation to another. General discomfort with the tactile environment. Difficulty in communicating with others.

We believe at Snowdrop, that our sensory re-tuning environments offer the best chance for children to overcome such distortions of sensory perception.

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Parenting Tips On Sensory Diet For Sensory Integration Disorder

Does your child with autism become sensitive to sounds, smells and is a picky eater? Does your child with another disability become hyperactive, when asked to sit for a long period of time? These are all signs of sensory integration disorder (SID). This article will discuss the sensory diet that is used for children with SID.

Sensory Integration Disorder is the inability of the brain to correctly process information brought in by the senses. SID can show itself in many different ways. A child with SID may be over or under sensitive to sounds, smells, may be a picky eater (does not like the way certain foods feel in their mouth), may not like the way certain clothes feel on their skin. Many children with autism and learning disabilities have sensory integration issues.

Children with SID may also have motor skill issues such as; difficulty with fine and gross motor skills, difficulty imitating movements, or has trouble with balance.

Treatment is usually carried out by a occupational therapist, with experience in treating children with sensory integration disorder. A sensory diet can also be put together, specifically for your child. The diet can be used at home as well as at school.

A sensory diet means that you are including sensory activities, within your child's day; at home and at school. Each child's sensory diet is different, depending on your child's specific SI needs. Ask your child's occupational therapist to help you set up a sensory diet, to meet your child's unique needs.

For Example: If your child becomes hyperactive on a regular basis, or perhaps prone to hitting or pinching, or being silly, or laughs for no reason a sensory diet may help. Giving your child sensory activities on a frequent regular basis, will help him to remain focused and in control more often.

A sample sensory diet is listed below:

At critical points during your child's day:

1. Swinging in a special swing or on a playground

2. Chase games such as tag, or running races

3. Jumping jacks, stretching, sit ups, balance beam

4. Trampoline, tire swing, exercise ball

5. Squeezables such as nerf balls, silly putty etc.

Every half hour if possible; to include the above:

6. Smelling scents game

7. Rubbing/or brushing with a specific type brush (Ask occupational therapist for type of brush to use, and how to do this technique), not to include the stomach.

8. Jump rope

Calming activities that you can use at home:

a. Morning: Bath, brushing, deep pressure.

b. After school: Child's choice (biking, running, skating).

c. Evening: Supper, bath, deep pressure.

Using a sensory diet on a child who has SID, can cause a dramatic improvement in their behavior and ability to focus. The items listed are easy to do at home and school. You may have to advocate for sensory breaks for your child, but remind special education personnel about how much it could benefit your child.

JoAnn Collins is the mother of two adults with disabilities, and has helped families navigate the special education system, as an advocate, for over 15 years. She is a presenter and author of the book "Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game." The book has a lot of resources and information to help parents fight for an appropriate education for their child. For a free E newsletter entitled "The Special Education Spotlight" send an E mail to: JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com For more information on the book, testimonials about the book, and a link to more articles go to: http://www.disabilitydeception.com

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SID - Sensory Integration Disorder and Neurofeedback

Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) was discovered by Jean Ayres, Ph.D. about 40 years ago. Symptoms of SID in children are often misinterpreted as psychological problems or just plain bad behavior.

Higher cognitive functions including things such as learning and behavior depend upon having normal sensory integration.

As a psychologist, I am sad to say that when I was in graduate school, (1982 - 1987) that this disorder wasn't talked about much. At this time I am often involved with families who have a child with Sensory Integration Disorder.

Imagine, if you will, that for each of your 5 senses, there is a wire of a different color that leads the information form that particular sense, into your brain. For example, for the information that comes in from your eyes, or your visual senses, you might imagine a red wire; and blue one for hearing (auditory), etc.

Now, assuming that your brain was able to notice what color of "wire" the information was coming from, and knew that the red "wire" was information from your eyes, and blue was from your ears, it would be a fairly straightforward process for keeping things figured out. Someone with SID, however, doesn't experience it quite like this.

When someone is dealing with SID, their brain is getting mixed signals. At times, the red "wire "might be visual information; at other times, it might be the blue "wire" that is shuttling the visual data. Then, there may be times when the red "wire" is carrying both visual and auditory information. Can you see how this might be very confusing for the brain to interpret?

This sounds like a rather complex challenge, does it not? One could argue that it is, I suppose, but I've never been one for building a "case" for difficulty. Instead, I prefer to gather evidence for possibility.

In short, when neurofeedback is helpful for those with SID, it's as though neurofeedback is able to teach the brain to start recognizing the "wires" accurately and stop acting "color blind" when it comes to incoming sensory information. And, why shouldn't everyone's brain learn to clearly interpret sensory information?

Want to know more about the amazing world of Neurofeedback? Click on this link to go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist and the author of a 168 page book, "Neurofeedback: Transforming Your Life with Brain Biofeedback" and can be reached at (949) 454-0996 http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com. The pdf version of the book can be downloaded for only $7.99!

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2012年8月28日星期二

Tactile Defensiveness - The Facts About the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol

Many children with Sensory Integration Disorders exhibit symptoms of tactile defensiveness. In layman's terms this simply means that they have hypersensitivity to touch and/or tactile input. This in turn may cause:

-Difficulty transitioning between activities

-Lack of attention or focus

-A fear or resistance to being touched

Your child may benefit from what is commonly known to most parents as "Brushing Therapy". It is known in Occupational Therapy circles as The Wilbarger Deep Pressure and Proprioceptive Technique (DPPT) & Oral Tactile Technique (OTT). It was developed by Dr. Patricia Wilbarger, MEd, OTR, FAOTA, an occupational therapist and clinical psychologist that has been working with sensory processing theories for over 30 years.

When first introduced to this, many parents are a bit skeptical. How can "brushing" my child help them with their sensory integration issues and tactile defensiveness? The theory behind it is that our skin is the human body's largest sensory organ, and therefore it is in constant contact with our nervous system; relaying information that allows us to interact effectively with our environment. Often times, the inability for the human body to process sensory input effectively can cause motor skill delays, tactile defensiveness, or social and emotional difficulties. Brushing therapy seeks to use this connection between the skin and the nervous system to assist kids who may be having difficulty organizing sensory information properly.

It is thankfully, quite simple to implement. The first step in the therapy involves using a soft, plastic, surgical brush which is run over the child's skin, using a very firm pressure, starting at the arms and working down to the feet. The chest and stomach area are always avoided as these are sensitive areas that can cause adverse reactions. There can be some drama at first, until the child becomes accustomed to the therapy, but most children find it pleasurable after a few sessions and may even ask for it when they are feeling "off". Along with the brushing, most practitioners will also prescribe joint compressions. In this phase of the treatment, the therapist or a parent trained by a therapist provides gentle compressions of each of the child's major joints for a count of ten. Finally, the therapist may also suggest the Oral Tactile Technique, or OTT. This technique involves using a finger to swipe along the inside of the child's mouth. This has been found to help with some children who have an issue with what is known as oral defensiveness. If your child is adverse to new foods because of their texture, or has a severe aversion to having their teeth brushed, they may have an issue with oral defensiveness.

If you think that your child would benefit from this form of therapy, it is important to seek guidance from an Occupational Therapist. Performing the therapy in a manner other than taught by a trained professional can be, at best, useless and could possibly do more harm then good.

Visit [http://www.SensorySmartKid.com] for more information and support regarding Sensory Integration, PDD and other Autism Spectrum Disorders.

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Halloween Fun For Children With Sensory Processing Issues

Halloween parties, costumes, masks, and treats--you can't count on any of these being fun for the child with sensory issues! No wonder October 25-31 was chosen to be National Sensory Awareness Week, drawing attention to the 1 in 20 children who have the hidden disability of sensory processing disorder, also known as SPD, or sensory integration dysfunction. Fortunately, you can make Halloween more enjoyable for the child who struggles with sensory issues.

Costumes and masks often involve new sensations against the skin and body that a child may find repulsive. Experiment beforehand with any make-up, masks, wigs, or hats and see if the child can truly tolerate them for a few hours. For a costume, consider working from the basic pieces of a soft, cotton top and bottom, such as a sweatsuit or pieces of clothing purchased at a used clothing store or pulled from his play clothes pile. Add elements and props that he can hold or wear comfortably. Start looking for a costume early, when the selection is best. Purchase a used costume or costume elements through eBay, second hand shops, and Craigs List to keep your costs down because after trying a costume for a few minutes, your child may realize it is too tight, scratchy, or uncomfortable in some other way.

Treats with plenty of sugar and artificial colors and flavors should be limited for all children, but kids with sensory issues are often more sensitive to these substances. Let her gather all her loot post trick or treating and choose the favorites, then have the rest mysteriously disappear overnight (maybe after using them as math counters!). Or hoard it to use a piece at a time as rewards for overcoming challenges, doing extra chores, or use in therapy. If your child has an occupational therapist or speech therapist, speak to this professional about the possibilities. For example, sour candies in particular can be good for helping a child with poor self-regulation who is stuck in the "loose and floppy" mode to become more alert so she can focus and attend to homework or school work.

If your child has food allergies and intolerances, skip the highly processed, sugary treats altogether. Have a party instead of going Trick or Treating, and provide healthy, fun snacks and nonfood items such as stickers, pencils, and small toys.

Offer opportunities to escape from the noise and bustle of a party or trick or treating. A quieter street to walk down or an empty bathroom or bedroom where she can regroup will help her avoid sensory overload. Let her know what to expect from the occasion, from kids jostling her in doorways and running past her on the street to scary sounds and lighting changes like strobe lights at a Halloween party. And consider celebrating Halloween at a nature center, zoo, or cultural center with a quieter, more structured program, or having a small party at home.

You may want to use this opportunity to talk about fears and how to manage them. Books such as Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley, featuring a monster the younger child constructs then deconstructs as he turns the pages, can help ease anxiety about monsters and other scary creatures.

And if you do not celebrate Halloween, or your child finds it too scary, consider creating an occasion to give her the "just right" challenge of dressing in unfamiliar clothing and using her imagination to pretend she is someone else for a short time. Costumes and dress-up play encourage young children to break out of cause-and-effect, parallel play and graduate to cooperative, imaginative play, which are important developmental skills. Whatever you do on October 31, please be sensory smart and understanding of your child with sensory issues.

Nancy Peske is an author and editor and the parent of a child who at age 2 was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder and multiple developmental delays. Coauthor of the award-winning Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues, available from Penguin Books, Nancy offers information and support on her blog and website at http://www.sensorysmartparent.com She has been active in the SPD community since 2002.

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Sensory Activities for Autistic Children

Autism, a disorder that creates behavioral, social, and communication challenges, exists within the Autism Spectrum group of disorders. Autism can affect the child's ability to integrate input coming from different senses. Sensory integration therapy can help a child by stimulating and challenging all of his or her senses. Some sensory activities for autistic children can also help a child learn to tolerate different tactile experiences. In addition, the children can learn to have fun while being creative.

Some autistic kids are overly sensitive to touch; some prefer touching and stroking soft, smooth items for hours. Many children with ASD cannot tolerate the feel of new clothes, or scratchy textiles. Still others pat and explore the faces of their caregivers.

Some sensory activities for autistic children include rubbing or stroking their skin with different textures. Use firm pressure to stimulate the deep pressure receptors and to avoid exciting the nervous system. Other ways of encouraging building tolerance to rough or scratchy textiles can include play with sandpaper shapes and letters, or plastic or wooden blocks with raised letters. Create a sensory board with clippings of all different types of fabric and other materials that are made up of different textures: sandpaper, string, smooth glass, corduroy, aluminum foil that's been crinkled up and then straightened out, and cardboard.

Another sensory activity to have the child perform is to play with colored rice. This project is both tactile and artistic; the goal is to help build tolerance to different textures while creating a work of art, which makes it a favorite of many sensory activities for autistic children. Take one cup of dry white rice, one teaspoon of rubbing alcohol, a medium-sized bowl and a spoon, aluminum foil or waxed paper, and three to four drops of food coloring. Use the rice:rubbing alcohol:food coloring ratio for each color you'd like. Put the rice in the bowl, add the rubbing alcohol, and drip on the food coloring, making sure to stir well between each drop. When the rice is the intensity you like, spread it onto the foil or waxed paper and allow it to dry. Repeat it with the other colors. To make art with the rice, have the child draw a picture or word onto card stock or bristol board, then trace the image or word with white glue, one section at a time. The child can drizzle the colored rice onto the glue. As with many sensory activities for autistic children, some kids may become overwhelmed if they have too much colored rice at once. Try placing a small amount of rice into a small paper cup and refill as necessary.

Register for your FREE webinar training with a child autistic behavioural specalist now and discover the key to unlocking childhood Autism VISIT.
autismininfants.org

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Advice For Parents of Children With Sensory Integration Disorder

Some children can overreact when exposed to too much environmental stimuli. This disorder involving the senses is called sensory integration disorder. If your child has difficulty in high stimulation situations and has a high level of anxiety or stress he may be suffering from this disorder. Sensory integration disorder can effect your child's learning development and behavior. It also causes difficulties with processing information from the five classic senses, the sense of movement , and/or the positional sense (proprioception).

This condition is usually diagnosed by an occupational therapist. There is no known cure but many treatments are available. One common sensitivity is to the sense of touch. If your child shows signs of sensitivity to his sense of touch here are some things you can do to make life a little easier for both of you.

1. Choose the fabric for your child's clothing carefully.

Children with SID will find fabrics like wool too scratchy and irritating. Purchase 100% cotton fabrics instead.

2. Be careful when choosing the style of your child's clothing.

Remove any irritating tags on the collar and look for loose fitting clothes.

3. Choose grooming products wisely.

Don't purchase soaps or shampoos with extra additives or dyes. These may be irritating and harsh to your child.

Disorders that may be related to SID

Autism spectrum disorders

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Temper Tantrums

Don't worry this disorder is more common than you might think. It's okay. With the right treatment and attention your child will be able to manage herself with this disorder and life can be more peaceful at home.

Ms. Talbert is a mother of three and editor of Healthy Moms - Parenting, Pregnancy, Health and Women's Issues.

She lives in Sacramento, CA with her family.

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2012年8月27日星期一

What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

ADHD, what is it exactly? Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a developmental disorder usually causing inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, and hyperactivity in children starting before the age of seven. ADHD is a chronic disorder that occurs in 3-5% of children worldwide.

The controversy surrounding ADHD has been around since the 70's. Some people don't even believe that ADHD is an actual disorder; others believe it has a genetic or physiological basis. Even more controversy surrounds the treatment for ADHD. Treatments include behavior modifications, life-style changes, counseling and stimulant medication.

Now a days anytime a child is hyper parents think it is ADHD. Between 2-16% of kids in school are diagnosed with ADHD and given medication for this disorder. Many kids however are usually misdiagnosed. Many symptoms of ADHD can be attributed to other disorders, many of which can accompany ADHD. Because such combinations of disorders appear together, this can complicate diagnosis. There are five behavioral symptoms that have been attributed to ADHD, but are actually not symptoms of ADHD directly. Many of these symptoms are misdiagnosed as ADHD when in actuality they are their own disorder and should be treated as such. The five problems are Anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior, learning disabilities, and sensory integration disorder.

1. Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by feelings of worry, apprehension, and fear. Anxiety can be triggered by a person, a place, or even by a feeling. The stimulus can even be unidentifiable outwardly to other people. It's harder to diagnose kids that have anxiety largely due to the fact that kids articulate their feelings much less than adults do. Kids with anxiety usually appear preoccupied or zoned out. This is due to their internal thoughts of worry. Kids with anxiety don't know how to handle or express their anxiety and perceive their threats as uncontrollable and unavoidable.

2. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness that can result in an aversion to activity. Depression can impair thinking skills, memory, cognitive flexibility, and attention. People who suffer from depression usually seem out of it. They have trouble focusing, become irritable, and have a lack of interest or initiation. Depression has no one single cause. Family history, pessimistic personality, trauma and stress, physical conditions, and other psychological disorders can all be associated with depression. For others depression had not specific trigger or cause. Since children have more difficulty expressing their emotions, it's important to determine depression in children through the evaluation of the child's behavior in several contexts.

3. Disruptive Behavior is where a child will not settle down and becomes troublesome or disorderly. Especially in a school setting this can become a problem where the disruptive student doesn't allow the other students to learn. In some cases kids can be disruptive intentionally, to show off, be funny or look cool. However children that have disruptive behaviors usually feel frustrated and are rebelling against authority to bring attention upon them. These types of kids have not developed adequate self-control, which causes them to act out and ultimately cause distractions for other classmates.

4. Learning disabilities is a classification of disorders where a person has difficulty learning. These disorders have affected the brain's ability to receive and process information therefore making it terribly difficult for the person to learn. Because we do not know what causes this problem within the brain learning disabilities are impossible to cure. However, there are other ways to get around learning disabilities. Intervention and support are the most important options available to someone who have a learning disability. Learning disabilities in children can cause inattentiveness, disruptive behavior, anxiety and depression. There are many learning disabilities such as reading, writing, math disorders, visual perception, auditory processing, nonverbal, dyslexia etc.

5. Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) is a neurological disorder where the person is unable to coordinate sensory information as it comes through the senses. When present in a child, the child may appear inattentive or quite the opposite as hyperactive. This is caused by the child being oversensitive or under sensitive to the sensory stimuli surrounding him/her. A child with a sensory integration disorder may be distressed by loud noises, bright lights, rough textures, or smells; or conversely, may need to handle things, hang upside-down, or shout boisterously.

As you can tell from the descriptions of the each of these disorders, many of the symptoms are the same or very similar. Many of these disorders accompany each other and therefore the person may be dealing with several different disorders at the same time. Because many of these disorders are now affecting children as well its important to evaluate and diagnose properly. This way we can properly treat for the correct disorder and stop over-medicating of our children, which can cause them harm in their future.

http://www.universalhealthinfo.com
http://www.universalhealthinfo.com/ADHD.html

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Chiropractic Fundamentals - Neurological Integration in Children

Some 30 years ago, Dr Jean Ayres identified a process which correlates neural function and a child's degree of success in school. This process is known as neurological integration.

Problems with neurological integration are evident in a child that is very sensitive to bright lights, loud sounds, or quick movements. They may have a very high pain tolerance or throw themselves against people or walls. There is an apparent increase or decrease in activity levels. Coordination problems, speech and language delays, and issues with attentiveness and self-regulation all indicate a problem with neurological integration. Most of these children are quickly diagnosed with something along the lines of ADHD or ADD by the medical profession.

When an infant is playing or interacting, their brain gathers information and attempts to organise it. If the information becomes scrambled or disorganized, this is evident in the infant's behavior. ADHD and ADD are purely a diagnosis of symptomology and not the cause in some cases.

"The number of young children entering school exhibiting sensory processing disorders is increasing every year and currently is estimated to affect 12 to 17 per cent of all children in the United States," according to the Sensory Integration Education and Research Foundation.

"It is extremely important for parents and education professionals to be proactive in the neurological development and wellbeing of children," says Chiropractor Cody Hanish. "The learning capabilities of infants and children exhibiting neurological integration disorders can greatly increase through chiropractic care."

Foot position

According to Foot Levelers, a recent survey of 52 five-year-old children showed that 92.3 per cent had knocked knees, and 77.9 per cent had hyperpronation of their feet, or underdevelopment of the ankle bone or heel bone which restricts the foot's range of motion. While knocked knees tend to go away, pronation of the feet do not.

"Pronation is the most common foot problem we see at our Chiropractic. All three foot arches, medial longitudinal, lateral longitudinal, and transverse, are far too weak to keep the foot in proper alignment which causes the tarsal bones to drop," says Cody. "Considering the importance of the feet in sending neurological information to the brain, this is extremely concerning."

Postural control

The act of standing or moving relays signals from the body to the brain and then back again. The body automatically and reflexively takes on a particular posture based on a combination of responses from the feet and other limb positions. All of this is controlled by the brain's messages to these areas.

Over the surface of the feet, there are millions of pressoreceptors (receptors that sense pressure). These receptors send information about your body in space to the brain which then coordinates the body to accommodate to the particular position.

Any disruption in this process can not only affect balance but many other senses as well. Instability can be triggered by malfunctioning responses to visual cues, vestibular, and proprioceptive reflexes, according to studies performed by Nashner, Norre, and Lord et al.

"Research shows how foot positioning directly interferes with the neurological development of children," says Cody. "It's easy to see the importance of foot position, posture, and the effects it has on health and wellbeing in the long term."

Cody Hanish, a Sydney Chiropractor and Doctor of Chiropractic, has provided this summary out of a series of articles on chiropractic care written by John de Voy. Cody is practicing together with John at John's Wynyard Chiropractic practise based in Sydney, Australia.

Cody himself first saw a chiropractor at age 17 following multiple sports-related injuries and two severe car accidents. His own chiropractic care has allowed him to pursue his love of sports and live an active lifestyle. Like many other successful chiropractors, his personal experience with his recoveries has given him the compassion and interest in sports-related injuries and post-trauma spinal rehabilitative care.

You can find more articles on pediatric and chiropractic care at the Sydney Wynyard Chiropractic Website.

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Sensory Processing Difficulties - Understanding the Family Dilemma

With the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders on the rise, let's focus on understanding the accompanying sensory processing issues. Although sensory processing difficulties are a symptom of Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome, every person can experience processing difficulties throughout life.

Also known as sensory integration, it refers to the way individuals respond to and process sensations. Our brains are constantly processing input from our sense organs (smell, touch, taste, hear, see and feel), even when we sleep. We usually don't notice the process, until it functions adversely. For example, all we need to do to overload our sensory system is navigate a shopping cart through a large grocery or house wares store. The overhead music plays while videos blare, smells rise and blend into one another, fans blow hot or cold air and overly helpful employees repeatedly pop out to greet us while we try desperately to stay in the left part of the brain so that we can get what we came for. Whew! By the time we get through the checkout, trapped between loud videos and beeping registers, we are feeling common symptoms of sensory overload: nervousness, simmering anger, headache and nausea. Now imagine how hard that must be for a small child or someone whose sensory system has difficulty processing the onslaught of stimulation.

Children have not yet developed the brain connections to tell us that they need to get away from the overwhelming stimulation. Instead, they scream, tantrum, run away or have potty accidents. Sensory overload triggers the primitive brain function of fight, flight or freeze and the body reacts without thought. The only goal is to survive, which temporarily hijacks the brain's executive functions, disabling logic, memory (retention and recall) and decision making processes.

For most of us, all we have to do is reduce or eliminate the excess sensory stimulation and the problem is solved. Usually our brains can sort it all, without conscious thought. Unfortunately, this task is much more complicated for someone when sensory processing difficulties are part of a disorder.

The entire family is affected when everyone is held hostage by the anticipation and prevention of rages or ear-piercing shrieks. Even the child feels helpless while he seeks to manipulate his world and the family system to avoid sensory issues. Often seen as behavior problems, these actions may actually help regulate the sensory system and bring it into balance. For the most part, behavior modification techniques do not work; the dysfunctional behavior is the result of a struggling brain process, not a goal-oriented choice.

When a family has a member with sensory processing issues, the choices are to continue living each day feeling powerless in a rage-reaction lifestyle or seek professional help. A neurologist is best qualified to make a diagnosis if Autism or Asperger's Syndrome is suspected. A specially trained pediatric occupational therapist (OT) can diagnose and treat Sensory Processing Disorder. A counselor who has experience with sensory processing issues can address the related anxiety and specific parenting techniques, which brings much needed relief to the family.

Generally, the whole family benefits by getting involved in the change process. An experienced counselor can help re-balance the parental power structure, lessen anxiety and resentment among siblings and coordinate treatment options with the school or daycare facility. Changing the way a brain functions takes time, commitment and active teamwork, which may frustrate parents who want a quick fix.

Lastly, remember to look for support from other parents who live with similar conditions. You can find support groups, information and professional referrals by accessing websites focusing on Sensory Processing Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome and Autism.

Sharon Cuff, MA counsels parents and children in Newtown Square, PA. She has over 25 years experience working with adults and children of all ages, stages and abilities. Call for an appointment at 484-437-0080 and visit her website at http://SharonCuffCounseling.com/

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