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ABSTRACT
Difficulties in processing and integrating sensory information can have an effect on occupational performance and behavior in the daily lives of children and youth. Services for pediatric clients are influenced by a range of legislative and funding policies. Occupational therapy practitioners working in various pediatric practice settings need knowledge of the differences between these approaches and the provisions of the funding resources in order to best meet the sensory processing and integration needs of their clients in various contexts.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this article, you should be able to:
1. Identify the differences between Ayres' sensory integration intervention and sensory-based strategies.
2. Recognize provisions of legislative and funding policies for pediatric occupational therapy services.
3. Recognize differences between supporting pediatric clients with sensory needs in educational versus clinical contexts.
INTRODUCTION
Difficulties in processing and integrating sensory information can have an effect on occupational performance and behavior in the daily lives of children and youth. Occupational therapy practitioners working in various pediatric practice settings need to be aware of sensory processing, the possible impact of sensory processing difficulties across behavior and performance areas, and the contextual factors that influence provision of services to address these needs. This article presents a brief historical perspective of the sensory integration theory and a description of intervention strategies based on the principles of sensory processing, followed by a discussion of the regulatory and contextual factors that influence service provision addressing sensory needs across pediatric practice settings.
A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF SENSORY INTEGRATION THEORY
A. J. Ayres developed the sensory integration theory in the 1960s and 1970s. Ayres (1972) posited that sensory information was nourishment for the nervous system and that the nervous system responded to sensory information with alterations in function, structure, and output. Thus, sensation could both inhibit and facilitate brain function and occupational behavior. She integrated findings from human and animal neuroscience, psychology, education, and human development to better understand and delineate the relationship between brain functions, behavior, emotion, and learning (Ayres, 1972, 1979). She consulted studies examining the effects of sensory deprivation and sensory-enriched environments on physical and emotional behavior. She used this information to generate hypotheses about the nature of the relationship between sensation and typical development, the way development could be affected...