WHAT IS THIS?
Our Central Nervous System in each moment receives all kinds of stimuli – visual, auditory, tactile, proprioceptive – which need to be appropriately integrated. In most people this process goes on authomatically. The right integration of stimuli makes possible reacting to various environmental demands in an adaptive way. Sometimes however, sensory integration fails, giving place to different motor, cognitive or behavioral dysfunctions. Sensory Integration Therapy aims at restoring the proper integration of different stimuli. As a result all aspects of neural functioning improve.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN SYMPTOMS OF SENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNCTIONS?

excessive or too feeble sensibility to tactile, visual, auricular or motor stimuli e.g. avoiding touching some materials (sand, grains of different sort), avoiding playing with plasticine, painting with use of fingers, problems with handling different objects, problems with concentration and balance etc.

too high or too low level of physical activity

Inappropriate muscle tone

poor motor coordination

motor clumsiness

poor concentration and impulsivity

fatigue

social withdrawal

language and motor retardation, learning disabilities

poor organization of behaviour

WHO SHOULD ATTEND SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY?

children with specific learning disorders – dyslexia, dysgraphia, poor concentration

children with ADHD and ADD

children with cerebral palsy

children with autism

children with psychophysical retardation

children with genetic diseases – Down, Asperger, Rett, Williams, Turner syndromes


WHAT DOES SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY CONSIST IN?
Sensory Integration Therapy is a form of occupational therapy which aims at improving child’s performance of everyday tasks. During therapy a child is being placed in a specially designed and equipped room which stimulates all the senses and supports the processing of sensory stimuli. Sensory Integration therapists assist children and encourage them to use properly all their sensual organs. Thus, Sensory Integration Therapy in a very unique way combines rehabilitation properties with elements of spontaneous play.

Some of the activities used during Sensory Integration training are balancing on a beam, hitting swinging balls, swinging in a hammock, playing in boxes filled with beans and the like.

Thanks to Sensory Integration therapy the following abilities improve:
Grazie agli esercizi ben scelti la terapia SI può migliorare:

motor skills

attention and concentration

sight and hearing

self-consciousness

emotional functioning