Many autistic children show musical interests and good musical skills including pitch and melodic memory. Autistic children may also perceive temporal regularities in music such as the primary beat underlying the rhythmic structure of music given some work showing preserved rhythm processing in the context of basic, nonverbal auditory stimuli. The…

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) impacts the quality of life and ability to perform coordinated actions in 5% of school-aged children. The quality of body representations of individuals with DCD has been questioned, but never assessed. We hypothesize that children with DCD have imprecise body representations in the sensory and motor…

Background: Perceptual motor development is crucial during early childhood and not properly addressing it in physical education (PE) can be detrimental. Aim: To determine the effect of a South African curriculum-aligned PE intervention on the visual-motor integration (VMI), visual perception (VP) and motor coordination (MC) of 6-year-old children.…

There are various forms of therapies for children with disabilities, including physical therapy, speech therapy, and alternative therapies such as music and dance therapy. Each form of therapy has its benefits for those with disabilities, but ultimately the success of the therapy rests on the attention paid to the individual. Especially for…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experience of how sensory-related behaviors of children with autism affected family routines. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with four primary caregivers regarding the meaning and impact of their child's sensory-related behaviors on family routines that occurred…

A review of research since Ayers' (1972) report on sensory integration (SI) concludes that SI is not supported as an effective treatment for academic problems of children with learning disabilities. It is not clear whether SI is more effective than perceptual-motor approaches or maturation alone. (SK)

Reports a study comparing two auditory-visual integration tests, one basically that developed by Birch and the other using Morse-type stimuli. Suggests reasons why the Morse form of test was more highly correlated with reading ability than the Birch test. (TO)

After 72 sessions for 3 hours per week, significantly more children aged 5-9 receiving sensory integration (SI) therapy (n=35) and perceptual motor training (n=35) showed improvement in SI functioning compared to 33 receiving no treatment. Similar effects were found for subgroups with vestibular dysfunction only (n=11, 13, and 11 respectively).…

Six children with multiple disabilities (ages 5 to 8) participated in this evaluation of the effect of sensory integration treatment on sensorimotor function and academic learning. The children had cognitive abilities ranging from sub-average to significantly sub-average, three were non-ambulatory, one had severe behavioral problems, and each…

Comparison of two strategies--manual guidance only and manual guidance plus verbal prompts--with 6 students (ages 9 to 19) whose multiple disabilities included total blindness and severe mental retardation found that prompting methods that require shifting verbal information to the performance of a manual task may interfere with the learning of…

Describes an empirical study that examined the impact of being carried on a parent's back on a child's visual integration pathways. Draws on a previous study (Pretorius et al.) postulating that this cultural behavior could have a negative impact as it prevents the child from crawling adequately or enough during the sensorimotor stage. (Author)

A research review on the use of Snoezelen (multisensory training) with people with mental retardation demonstrates a wide range of positive outcomes, though there is little evidence of generalization even to the immediate post-Snoezelen environment. The issue of staff attitudes and the place of Snoezelen in facilitating positive interactions is…

The increase in the diagnosis of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and the characteristics and treatment of ADD using sensory motor exercises are discussed. Reasons for the disability are explored, including neurological differences and difficulties in interpreting sensory input. Problems with focusing and hearing as well as hypersensitivity to…

The Developmental Day School, a 4-year-old demonstration school in Phoenix, is described. The curriculum is based on neurodevelopmental, sensory integrative principles. An interdisciplinary staff integrates communication, daily living, academic, sensorimotor and music components. Self-stimulating behaviors are handled by analyzing the child's…

A plan is described for effective parent involvement in occupational therapy for the child with sensory integrative dysfunction. Consideration is given to levels of parent-child interaction and parents' ability to accept the child's difficulties. Purposes of parental participation are outlined and a model for evaluation and intervention is…