Ready Approach for Sensory Issues

SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDERS

Sensory processing is an important aspect of normal brain function, enabling us to take in and make sense of many different kinds of sensations coming into the brain along different sensory channels at the same time. The ability to make adaptive responses is dependent upon adequate sensory processing.

There are several aspects of sensory processing that can become disordered. Four aspects are:

Sensory defensiveness (symptoms appear at anytime in the life span)

Common problem, but easy to miss
Barrier to everything else
Characterized by exaggerated avoidance to specific sensations, and escalating arousal which leads to unexpected, illogical, dramatic behaviors such as emotional outbursts or severe self-injury that cannot be predicted or explained in the context of the current situation
Essentially a problem of chemistry involving limbic structures

Sensory modulation (symptoms appear in infancy or early childhood)

Over arousal
Under arousal
Shutdown
Fluctuating arousal
Essentially a problem of chemistry in the brain stem

Sensory registration (symptoms appear in infancy or early childhood)

Over registration
Under registration
Delayed registration
Lack of sustained effect
Impaired discrimination of specific sensations
Essentially a problem of neural circuitry

Sensory integration (symptoms appear in infancy or early childhood)

"The ability of the central nervous system to organize and process input from different sensory channels in order to make an adaptive response." (Ayres, 1979)
Multi-channel intake
Requires active participation and adaptive responses, i.e. cortical mediation

Sensory processing problems are commonly associated with conditions such as Autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity, Learning Disabilities, Severe and Profound Mental Retardation, and Process Schizophrenia.

Sensations

Sensory processing problems involve an impaired ability to process and make sense of the types of sensation that enable us to generate automatic adaptive responses. Three key sensations are:

Vestibular sensations

Arise from firing of the vestibular apparatus in each inner ear
Tell the brain we are moving, surrounded by something that is moving, on something that is moving, or a combination of the three
Also tell the brain where "down" is because the vestibular apparatus registers the pull of gravity

Proprioceptive sensations

Arise from firing in tiny receptors located in muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround joints
Tell the brain where body parts are and what they are doing without our having to look
Provide the sense of our body "contents"

Tactile sensations

Arise from receptors located in the skin that fire when we touch or are touched by something
Provide the brain with body boundaries so we can differentiate "me" from "not me"
Are processed in two separate and distinct touch systems that make it possible for us to differentiate light touch from pressure touch

Sensory processing disorders can have a profound adverse influence on all subsequent development because they significantly interfere with the abilities to learn, interact with others, perform tasks, and participate in activities. If the sensory processing problems are severe, secondary motor, emotional, psychological, social communication, or behavioral problems often become the focus of treatment, habilitation, or remediation efforts.

It is difficult to test individuals who have severe sensory processing problems because it is difficult for them to tolerate the test situation or catch on to what is expected to a degree that is sufficient for them to organize and generate meaningful responses. Consequently, test results are typically skewed and rarely provide an accurate reflection of underlying abilities that are likely to be masked or hidden by sensory needs.

Sensory processing disorders are identified by interpreting behavioral responses from a sensory perspective. Those who serve or care for individuals who have challenging or excessive behaviors associated with developmental disabilities can often be much more effective if they apply a sensory frame of reference when evaluating or planning treatment for those individuals.

There are many red flags to indicate that someone has disordered sensory processing. While there is no single indicator, any of these in combination with each other suggest that sensory processing should be evaluated, especially if the indicator is typical of the person most of the time in most situations:

Attention problems - fixating, perseverating, distractibility
Difficulty maintaining an alert but relaxed state - hyperactivity or hypoactivity
Avoidance of touch or movement
Self-stimulation - especially when it is persistent and interferes with the ability to do other things
Self-injury
Stereotypic behaviors
Rigidity, inflexibility, or difficulty tolerating or adjusting to even routine changes that are a natural part of daily living
Unpredictable explosions of emotion
Disregard of, or impaired ability to interact with others, even a familiar person who provides routine daily care
Impaired learning, difficulty catching on, giving the appearance of trying hard by just not quite "getting it"

To diagnose a sensory processing deficit it is important to rule out other explanations for the problem, and to find evidence to support a conclusion that there is disordered processing of sensations used by lower brain centers, well below the level of conscious awareness.

The Benefits of Meeting Sensory Needs

For individuals:

Decreased need to stimulate or injure self
Improved ability to pay attention, participate, and learn
Increased independence in functional activities
Spontaneous expression of new skills and abilities
Improved social interaction
Decreased fear and anxiety
Improved communication
Improved ability to handle distractions and interruptions
Improved ability to adjust to change
More able to experience joy and have fun
Improved ability to take advantage of choices, services, and community integration opportunities

For service providers and families:

Individual¹s strengths and potential to improve more evident - effort rewarded
Able to concentrate on training or educational activities rather than needing to manage challenging behaviors

Able to utilize more natural learning opportunities where it¹s easier to reinforce functional skills
Able to decrease use of psychotropic medication and behavioral management techniques
Improved survey results, time can be spent helping individuals instead of working on correction plans - lots of positive recognition
Improved staff morale - lower turnover, higher commitment, fewer injuries

Ready Approach:

About Developmental Concepts:

ABOUT THE READY APPROACH

The Ready Approach contains ideas based on 13 years of clinical experience with severely disabled children and adults being served in the most challenging environments. The approach is now being used with success in regular and special school settings and in a variety of treatment programs for infants, children and adults across the United States. The Ready Approach synthesizes sensory, neurobehavioral and cognitive considerations into an organized approach, which applies to the evaluation and treatment of individuals as well as to the design and operation of whole programs serving many individuals. It is a particularly important alternative for people who have excessive behaviors such as self-stim/injury, defensiveness or hyperactivity. While the Ready Approach is derived from sensory integration theory, it is primarily based on current thinking related to the neurobiology of behavior, emotion, consciousness and memory.

"Ready" refers to how this approach helps individuals with disordered sensory processing bridge the gap between being confused and overwhelmed by their experience to being settled, having their bearings, and being able to catch on. People using the approach are consistently reporting the same kind of success experienced by the author, Bonnie Hanschu. The Ready Approach has yet to be formally tested, but many have already described it as capable of achieving stunning results. It has been hailed by experienced clinicians as "revolutionary" and is frequently described as "an integrated approach that finally makes sense".

Any questions please contact us at Center of Development 931-372-2567

adapted from atready.com by: Heidi Clopton, OTR/L

Related Topics:

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Home > Sensory Integration > Ready Approach for Sensory Issues Ready Approach for Sensory Issues SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDERS* Sensory processing is an important aspect of normal brain function, enabling us to take in and make sense of many different kinds of sensations coming into the brain along different sensory channels at the same time. The ability to make adaptive responses is dependent upon adequate sensory processing. There are several aspects of sensory processing that can become disordered. Four aspects are: Sensory defensiveness (symptoms appear at anytime in the life span) Common problem, but easy to miss Barrier to everything else Characterized by exaggerated avoidance to specific sensations, and escalating arousal which leads to unexpected, illogical, dramatic behaviors such as emotional outbursts or severe self-injury that cannot be predicted or explained in the context of the current situation Essentially a problem of chemistry involving limbic structures Sensory modulation (symptoms appear in infancy or early childhood) Over arousal Under arousal Shutdown Fluctuating arousal Essentially a problem of chemistry in the brain stem Sensory registration (symptoms appear in infancy or early childhood) Over registration Under registration Delayed registration Lack of sustained effect Impaired discrimination of specific sensations Essentially a problem of neural circuitry Sensory integration (symptoms appear in infancy or early childhood) "The ability of the central nervous system to organize and process input from different sensory channels in order to make an adaptive response." (Ayres, 1979) Multi-channel intake Requires active participation and adaptive responses, i.e. cortical mediation Sensory processing problems are commonly associated with conditions such as Autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity, Learning Disabilities, Severe and Profound Mental Retardation, and Process Schizophrenia. Sensations Sensory processing problems involve an impaired ability to process and make sense of the types of sensation that enable us to generate automatic adaptive responses. Three key sensations are: Vestibular sensations Arise from firing of the vestibular apparatus in each inner ear Tell the brain we are moving, surrounded by something that is moving, on something that is moving, or a combination of the three Also tell the brain where "down" is because the vestibular apparatus registers the pull of gravity Proprioceptive sensations Arise from firing in tiny receptors located in muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround joints Tell the brain where body parts are and what they are doing without our having to look Provide the sense of our body "contents" Tactile sensations Arise from receptors located in the skin that fire when we touch or are touched by something Provide the brain with body boundaries so we can differentiate "me" from "not me" Are processed in two separate and distinct touch systems that make it possible for us to differentiate light touch from pressure touch Sensory processing disorders can have a profound adverse influence on all subsequent development because they significantly interfere with the abilities to learn, interact with others, perform tasks, and participate in activities. If the sensory processing problems are severe, secondary motor, emotional, psychological, social communication, or behavioral problems often become the focus of treatment, habilitation, or remediation efforts. It is difficult to test individuals who have severe sensory processing problems because it is difficult for them to tolerate the test situation or catch on to what is expected to a degree that is sufficient for them to organize and generate meaningful responses. Consequently, test results are typically skewed and rarely provide an accurate reflection of underlying abilities that are likely to be masked or hidden by sensory needs. Sensory processing disorders are identified by interpreting behavioral responses from a sensory perspective. Those who serve or care for individuals who have challenging or excessive behaviors associated with developmental disabilities can often be much more effective if they apply a sensory frame of reference when evaluating or planning treatment for those individuals. There are many red flags to indicate that someone has disordered sensory processing. While there is no single indicator, any of these in combination with each other suggest that sensory processing should be evaluated, especially if the indicator is typical of the person most of the time in most situations: Attention problems - fixating, perseverating, distractibility Difficulty maintaining an alert but relaxed state - hyperactivity or hypoactivity Avoidance of touch or movement Self-stimulation - especially when it is persistent and interferes with the ability to do other things Self-injury Stereotypic behaviors Rigidity, inflexibility, or difficulty tolerating or adjusting to even routine changes that are a natural part of daily living Unpredictable explosions of emotion Disregard of, or impaired ability to interact with others, even a familiar person who provides routine daily care Impaired learning, difficulty catching on, giving the appearance of trying hard by just not quite "getting it" To diagnose a sensory processing deficit it is important to rule out other explanations for the problem, and to find evidence to support a conclusion that there is disordered processing of sensations used by lower brain centers, well below the level of conscious awareness. The Benefits of Meeting Sensory Needs For individuals: Decreased need to stimulate or injure self Improved ability to pay attention, participate, and learn Increased independence in functional activities Spontaneous expression of new skills and abilities Improved social interaction Decreased fear and anxiety Improved communication Improved ability to handle distractions and interruptions Improved ability to adjust to change More able to experience joy and have fun Improved ability to take advantage of choices, services, and community integration opportunities For service providers and families: Individual¹s strengths and potential to improve more evident - effort rewarded Able to concentrate on training or educational activities rather than needing to manage challenging behaviors Able to utilize more natural learning opportunities where it¹s easier to reinforce functional skills Able to decrease use of psychotropic medication and behavioral management techniques Improved survey results, time can be spent helping individuals instead of working on correction plans - lots of positive recognition Improved staff morale - lower turnover, higher commitment, fewer injuries Ready Approach: About Developmental Concepts: ABOUT THE READY APPROACH The Ready Approach contains ideas based on 13 years of clinical experience with severely disabled children and adults being served in the most challenging environments. The approach is now being used with success in regular and special school settings and in a variety of treatment programs for infants, children and adults across the United States. The Ready Approach synthesizes sensory, neurobehavioral and cognitive considerations into an organized approach, which applies to the evaluation and treatment of individuals as well as to the design and operation of whole programs serving many individuals. It is a particularly important alternative for people who have excessive behaviors such as self-stim/injury, defensiveness or hyperactivity. While the Ready Approach is derived from sensory integration theory, it is primarily based on current thinking related to the neurobiology of behavior, emotion, consciousness and memory. "Ready" refers to how this approach helps individuals with disordered sensory processing bridge the gap between being confused and overwhelmed by their experience to being settled, having their bearings, and being able to catch on. People using the approach are consistently reporting the same kind of success experienced by the author, Bonnie Hanschu. The Ready Approach has yet to be formally tested, but many have already described it as capable of achieving stunning results. It has been hailed by experienced clinicians as "revolutionary" and is frequently described as "an integrated approach that finally makes sense". Any questions please contact us at Center of Development 931-372-2567 adapted from atready.com by: Heidi Clopton, OTR/L	Related Topics:

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