Occupational Therapy Resources and Frequently Asked Questions
Links
Occupational Therapy Sites Of Interest
Links For Occupational Therapy Supplies And Teaching Materials
Recommended Reading and Book Links
- Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism
by Temple Grandin
- Just Take a Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges!
by Lori Ernsperger and Tania Stegen-Hanson
- An Introduction to Sensory Integration
by Nan Arkwright
- Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues
by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske
- The Sensory-Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior
by Karen A. Smith and Karen R. Gouze
- Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder
by Lucy Jane Miller Ph.D, OTR and Doris A. Fuller
- Parenting a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder: A Family Guide to Understanding & Supporting Your Sensory-Sensitive Child
by Christopher R. Auer and Susan L. Blumberg
- Answers to Questions Teachers Ask about Sensory Integration
by Jane Koomar, Carol Kranowitz, Stacey Szklut, and Lynn Balzer-Martin (Paperback - Aug 1, 2001)
- Starting Sensory Integration Therapy: Fun Activities That Won't Destroy Your Home or Classroom
by Bonnie Arnwine
- Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World
by Sharon Heller
- Engaging Autism: Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think
by Stanley I. Greenspan and Serena Wieder
- Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis: An Introduction to ABA for Parents, Teachers, and Other Professionals
by Albert J. Kearney
- The Dominance Factor: How Knowing Your Dominant Eye, Ear, Brain, Hand, & Foot Can Improve Your Learning
by Carla Hannaford
- Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head
by Carla Hannaford
- Brain Gym: Simple Activities for Whole Brain Learning
by Paul E. Dennison Ph.D. and Gail E. Dennison
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sensory-motor Processing?
Sensorimotor. What a word. It can be most quickly understood by breaking it apart into sensory and motor—“sensory” meaning
how the body takes in information and “motor” meaning how the body puts out information.
Suppose there is a lady who needs to drive 20 miles to work today. First, she must fill up her car with gas (which costs
a fortune now that gas prices are so high). Now let’s suppose that there has been a leak in the gasoline or crossed fuel
injectors causing the gas to get to the engine in spurts.
The problem could be worse by adding the fact that the fuel filter is clogged to the max (the guy at the filling station was
supposed to replace it with the last oil change but…..). The reality will be that car may sputter or lurch but it will never
be able to keep up on the highway.
The same can be true of a child trying to succeed in the classroom. He must filter information and direct it to the right
place to know what to do. He hears a teacher giving directions, feels the child next to him poking him, and sees a puppy
playing outside the window. He must decide what is most important to focus on and what he needs to filter out. All children
must learn to filter, organize and use incoming information (provided by the sensory system) to perform (through use of the
motor system).
Having sensorimotor information and sensorimotor activities helps to enhance what your child is learning at school, and
to provide your family with the opportunity to begin “tune-ups” so that your child will be ready to exit onto the
sensorimotor highway of life.
What is a Sensory Diet?
Just as we eat three to four times per day to keep our bodies running smoothly, children often need regular engagement in
specific activities to help them regulate their bodies. Whether it is activities to help a child to wake up and attend to
the environment or activities to help a child calm down and better attend to the environment, a sensory diet can be an effective
means to setting a child up for more success.
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