Sensory Integration Disorder as a Learning Disability
Sensory integration disorder is a condition that occurs when a child is not able to accurately interpret sensory stimuli in his or her environment. For children with sensory integration disorder, florescent lights may be overwhelmingly distracting, vacuum cleaners may be terrifying, clothing tags may be extremely irritating, perfumes may be bothersome and certain tastes may be unbearable. While sensory integration disorder is not independently classified as a learning disability, it can be classified as an "other health impaired" disability when it adversely affects a child's ability to learn.
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History
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According to LD online, the theory of sensory integration was introduced by A. Jean Ayres in 1972. Sensory integration is the way the brain organizes various sensations perceived from your own body and from the environment in such a way that you can effectively use your body within a given environment. Individuals who are unable to organize their sensations adaptively are considered to have a sensory integration disorder or dysfunction of sensory integration.
Types
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The five main senses are sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Two other senses are vestibular and proprioception. The vestibular sense is the sense that gives information about where the body is within a given space and in relation to the surface of the Earth. Proprioception is the sense that gives information about where one's body parts are located and what those body parts are doing. Children with a sensory integration disorder may have difficulties with one sense or several senses.
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Symptoms
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Sensory integration disorders have an adverse affect on motor skills, behavior, attention and learning. Symptoms of sensory integration disorder may include clumsiness, problems with learning new movements, low self-esteem, social skills problems, poor self-help skills, emotional problems and inappropriate responses to sights, sounds, movements or touch. Inappropriate responses to sensory input may manifest as tantrums. Also, children with sensory integration disorders may also have extremely high activity levels or unusually low activity levels.
Coexisting Conditions
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Children with sensory integration disorder may also have coexisting conditions such as autism, Asperger's Syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, fragile-X syndrome, speech and language delays and specific learning disabilities. Most children with autism or Asperger's syndrome display some symptoms of sensory integration disorder.
Accomodations and Modifications
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Sensory integration disorder is usually diagnosed by an occupational therapist, a speech or language therapist or a physiotherapist. These specialists can usually recommend accommodations and modifications that will be needed for the child to succeed in school. School-aged children with sensory integration disorder may require accommodations to participate effectively in the general education classroom. LD online recommends that modifications be made to the child's environment, if needed, and that adaptations be made to daily routines. Environmental modifications may include removing visual materials that may be distracting to the child or avoiding the use of perfumes or scented candles. Daily routine adaptions may include allowing the child to complete alternate assignments when the class is doing some sort of messy art project.
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