“I fell down on the flat ground” What to do if you have sensory integration disorder?

There are generally two kinds of parents’ opinions about sensory integration training: one kind thinks it is very professional and important, but far from their own; the other kind thinks it is pure nonsense. Isn’t it good that they didn’t have such a saying when they were young? They haven’t seen many children around them with sensory integration disorder, so why has it become a problem now? So what is sensory integration disorder?

So what exactly causes sensory integration disorder?

There are two types of causes: nature and nurture

1. Physiological reasons (congenital) 01 Balance disorders caused by abnormal fetal position. 02 Premature birth or caesarean section causes insufficient pressure on infants and young children, resulting in tactile disorders. 03 Incorrect medication and injections during pregnancy cause harm to the fetus. 2. Environmental and man-made reasons (acquired) 01 Small families and urbanized life have reduced the scope of children's activities. Adults are overprotective of infants and young children and take care of everything, resulting in incomplete information received by children. 02 Parents are too busy and lack guidance, resulting in insufficient sensory stimulation of the right brain of infants and young children. 03 After birth, children learn to walk directly without going through the crawling stage, resulting in vestibular balance disorders. 04 Parents or nannies do not allow children to play with soil and sand, fearing that they will get dirty, resulting in a lack of tactile stimulation for infants and young children. 05 Using a walker too early causes vestibular balance disorders and insufficient head support for infants and young children. 06 Parents' requirements are too high, discipline is too strict, and children have too little free time, causing mental damage and frustration of forcing growth.

01What is sensory integration training? Sensory integration training refers to training that guides children to respond appropriately to sensory stimuli based on their neurological needs. This training provides whole-body movements that stimulate the vestibular (gravity and movement), proprioception (muscles and sensations), and touch. Its purpose is not to enhance motor skills, but to improve the brain's way of processing sensory information and organizing and constituting sensory information.

02What is the role of sensory integration? 1. Sensory integration training can develop children’s intelligence.

2. Sensory integration training can integrate children with sensory integration disorders and special children into normal education.

3. Sensory integration training is beneficial to enhancing children's physical fitness.

4. Sensory integration education has a positive impact on children's psychological development.

5. It helps to cultivate children's happy mood and enable them to have good emotional experience.

6. Help children concentrate

7. Sensory integration training helps special children build confidence

8. Sensory integration training can cultivate children's courage, tenacity, ability to overcome difficulties and surpass themselves.

9. Cultivate children's social awareness of competition, unity and cooperation, and cultivate children's good social adaptability.

10. Improve children’s language skills.

03 Classification of sensory integration training Sensory integration training is mainly the most important sensory system of human beings, which can be divided into training of touch, vestibular balance training, motor sensation and other projects. There are mainly the following types:

Tactile training: strengthen the nerve sensitivity of the skin, large and small muscles and joints, identify the sensory levels, and adjust the sensitivity of the brain's sensory nerves.

The training equipment includes massage balls, ball pool and balance tactile board.

Indications: Crying, timid, emotional, afraid of strangers, clumsy, afraid of being touched, incorrect pronunciation, partiality, picky eating, poor concentration, autism, frailty, etc.

Vestibular balance training: adjust the vestibular information and automatic response function of the balance nervous system, promote the soundness of language organization nerves, vestibular balance and completeness of visual and auditory abilities.

Training equipment: cylinder, balance bike, massage dragon ball, slide, balance platform, shaking log bridge, kangaroo bag, circular pulley.

Indications: lack of physical flexibility, poor posture, poor bilateral coordination, hyperactivity, irritability, delayed language development, poor visual-spatial, reading difficulties, lack of self-confidence, poor concentration, prone to falls, lack of sense of direction, inability to learn and develop habits.

Jumping training: adjusts the inherent balance and vestibular balance sensory nervous system, strengthens the tactile nerves and joint information, and promotes the healthy development of the left and right brain.

Training equipment: racquetball, trampoline.

Indications: Standing and sitting without form, incorrect posture, emotionality, lack of physical flexibility, hyperactivity, lack of concentration, delayed language development, reading difficulties, timidity, emotionality, clumsiness, poor visual judgment, false tactile development, and insufficient joint information.

Intrinsic balance training: adjust the coordination of the spinal central nervous system to gravity, strengthen the middle ear balance system, coordinate the nerve functions of the whole body, and lay the foundation for brain development.

Training equipment: one-legged chair, large gyroscope, stepper, vertical holding tube.

Indications: hyperactivity, easy to fall, irritable, irritable, poor language development, lack of organizational and reasoning skills, bilateral poor coordination, inflexible hands and feet, and lack of self-confidence.

Proprioception training: strengthen inherent balance, sense of touch, bilateral coordination of large and small muscles, flexible body movement ability, and balanced development of the left and right brain.

Training equipment: trampoline, balance beam, shaking log bridge, skateboard, S-shaped vertical balance beam, S-shaped horizontal balance beam, circular balance board.

Indications: slow language development, clumsiness, inattention, hyperactivity, emotionality, lack of organization and creativity.

04Early prevention of sensory integration disorder

1. Parents recognize the importance of early intervention;

2. Create a rich nurturing environment, take initiative, and integrate exercise into daily life;

3. Overcome anxiety and patiently learn early intervention methods;

4. Carry out intervention training for children mainly in family life according to the therapist's requirements;

5. Follow up regularly as required by the doctor. If any abnormality is found, conduct diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation training in a timely manner.