Anxiety and Sensory Over-Responsivity

In an article recently published to the Journal of Autism and other Developmental Disorders, the authors (Shulamite A. Green and Ayelet Ben-Sasson) discuss the concurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorders and anxiety and/or sensory over-responsitivity (SOR). In children with ASD, rates of anxiety are estimated to be 18-87% (3-24% in typically developing children). The rates of [...]

Does my child with autism need a swing?

The use of swings for people with autism may serve as a way of balancing their sensory system. The stretchy swing shown in the image is great because it provides multiple modes of sensory stimulation. It provides deep pressure, spinning, rotation and/or swinging. To set up something like this in your house you need to [...]

Sensory Processing Dysfunction – Vestibular Activation

The occupational therapist at my school recently attended a workshop regarding vestibular activation which can be used for people with autism to address sensory processing dysfunction. These exercises are used as part of Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) to help people organize and process incoming sensory information (movement, visual and auditory) in order to integrate all [...]

Sensory Integration Therapy

Sensory Integration is the process through which the brain organizes and interprets external stimuli such as movement, touch, smell, sight and sound. Autistic children often exhibit symptoms of Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) making it difficult for them to process information brought in through the senses. Children can have mild, moderate or severe SID deficits manifesting [...]