Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) aims to help children with issues related to sensory processing and its modulation. Sensory processing refers to the brain’s ability to organize, interpret, and respond to information received from each of the senses. The senses can be classified as visual (sight), auditory (hearing), tactile (touch), vestibular (movement), gustatory (taste), and proprioceptive (pressure). When interruption or disruption occurs in the processing of information from one or more of these areas, the ability to self-regulate and organize oneself may become compromised.
A specially trained Occupational Therapist (OT) determines whether a child would benefit from SIT. The OT will then expose the child to sensory stimulation through repetitive activities. They then gradually design more complex and challenging activities that facilitate the child’s nervous system to respond in a more organized way to sensations and movement.