Sensory Integration

Sensory processing and reflex integration play crucial roles in a child's development. Here's how they can help your child:

1. Sensory Processing: Sensory processing refers to how the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Children with sensory processing difficulties may be oversensitive or under-sensitive to sensory input, leading to challenges in everyday activities. Occupational therapy focusing on sensory processing can help your child regulate their responses to sensory input, improving their ability to engage in daily tasks such as eating, dressing, and socializing.

2. Reflex Integration: Primitive reflexes are automatic movements that are present in infants and typically integrate into more controlled movements as a child develops. However, sometimes these reflexes persist beyond infancy and can interfere with higher-level skills such as coordination, balance, and attention. Reflex integration therapy aims to address these retained reflexes, helping the child develop more mature movement patterns and cognitive abilities.

By addressing sensory processing and reflex integration challenges, your child can experience various benefits, including:

● Improved Focus and Attention: By regulating sensory input and integrating reflexes, children can better focus on tasks and maintain attention for longer periods.

● Enhanced Motor Skills: Reflex integration therapy can help develop smoother, more coordinated movements, improving gross and fine motor skills.

● Better Self-Regulation: Children learn to better regulate their responses to sensory stimuli, leading to improved self-regulation in various environments.

● Increased Confidence and Self-Esteem: As children become more adept at processing sensory information and performing motor tasks, their confidence and self-esteem often improve.

● Greater Social Participation: Improved sensory processing and motor skills enable children to engage more fully in social interactions and activities with peers.

We help families identify what activities and exercises are meaningful to their child to ensure he/she can achieve a regulated state for successful learning. A sensory system that has difficulty staying in a regulated state is easily sent into a fight/flight/freeze response. Utilizing sensory strategies with a combination of Motor Learning and Floortime practices is beneficial for meeting the child where he/she is to identify triggers and maintain a flow state for optimal learning and growth. As a child’s main occupation is play, the interventions are targeted for meaningful and motivating activities.
Our occupational therapists understand the importance of consistency for effective neuroplasticity during development. We will collaborate with your family to develop a home exercise program that builds off his/her successes and intervention path. It's important to work with professionals such as occupational therapists who specialize in sensory processing and reflex integration to create individualized interventions tailored to your child's specific needs. Additionally, early intervention is key, as addressing these challenges during childhood can have significant long-term benefits for your child's development and well-being.