Sensory Integration

DEFINTION:  The ability of the brain to organize sensory input for an adaptive response.  It is the process by which the brain "puts it all together" for appropriate action.

WHERE DOES IT TAKE PLACE?:  It is located in the brainstem level of the brain (around your ear).  Integration, or organization, of sensory stimuli takes place automatically and is not something that you have to think about to make it happen.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?:  It provides the foundation for behavior and learning.  It is like the foundation of a house!  If it is well developed (built), then the child learns and develops in a normal fashion (upper levels of the house are sturdy and useful).  If problems are noted in the foundation, higher level problems develop, whether it is in the child's development or in a new house.

WHEN DOES SENSORY INTEGRATION DEVELOP?:  It begins at conception and matures around the ages of 8 to 9, with additional refinement throughout life.

WHAT NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEMS ARE INVOLVED?:  1) The tactive or light and crude touch systems;  2) The propriceptive or deep touch-pressure system; and 3) The vestibular or movement and gravity system.  
The tactile system tells us when we touch something hot, cold, etc., and is necessary for our protection and survival.
The proprioceptive  system gives us an inner sense of where our arms and legs are without looking at them, and helps us to know where we are in space. 
The vestibular system (which some books define as part of the proprioceptive system) also helps us to know where we are in space.  It helps in arousing us in the morning and in calming down when needed.   It interprets movement of the head and body, and greatly influences the developement of body postural mechanisms (balance, eye movement, muscle tone, etc.). 
 All parts of the nervous system must work in harmony with each other for maximum function.  Disorder in lower level systems affects higher level learning and behavior.   Neurological "soft signs" usually do not show up on EEG's and may or may not be significant.  All individuals have minor irregularities in these systems;  it is when a cluster of deficits occur that dysfunction is identified as related to the child's academic or behavior problems.   

 

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