Dysfunction of sensory systems (tactile, vestibular, proprioceptive, auditory, visual, touch disorder and taste disorientation)

Have you noticed that your child reacts strangely to certain sounds, touches, or household procedures?

For example, he is aggressive when approaching him, is afraid to swing on a swing, does not allow his nails to be cut, is frightened by even quiet sounds, and does not accept new food and clothes.

Such phenomena are encountered in the practice of specialists - teachers and psychologists. These “side effects” of behavior are due to the fact that the child has impaired sensory integration - the ability to adequately perceive surrounding phenomena and stimuli. It is on this property that a person’s correct social adaptation and his ability to interact harmoniously with everything around him, including the ability to learn, depend.

How it works?

A huge amount of information enters the brain from the senses. If the nervous system develops normally (the system of transmitting information to the brain, its organization and selection works well), then sensory integration is arranged correctly. This means that the development of the child’s motor skills, speech and behavior is immediate.

If the organs of the nervous system and/or sensory organs are damaged, the process of sensory integration malfunctions: external information is not processed effectively, difficulties arise in mastering everyday skills, feelings and thoughts, the ability to communicate and learn are slowly or insufficiently developed.

Definition of the concept

Sensory integration is the process of organizing sensations occurring in the central nervous system, arriving simultaneously from different sensory systems (vestibular apparatus, proprioception, touch, hearing, vision, smell and taste), which ensures the harmonious functioning of the structures of the nervous system and allows a person to carry out effective adaptive interaction with environment.
Thanks to this process, information flowing simultaneously through several sensory channels is ordered and combined into a single whole, which leads to the formation of a holistic perception of the situation and creates the possibility of purposeful, meaningful action in this situation. In addition, in the process of processing sensory information, the sensations we receive are endowed with meaning, and the most important information is selected on which to focus attention at the moment.

The following example can illustrate the process. When a child plays with blocks, he feels them visually, as well as through the skin, muscles and joints of the hands, hears the sounds of the blocks knocking against each other, at the same time his brain receives information about the position of the body and its parts in space from the vestibular and muscle-articular receptors , also at this moment he can smell food being prepared in the kitchen and hear the sounds of the TV on. Thanks to the correct organization of the complex of incoming sensations in the brain, the child sees the cubes holistically, understands that these are cubes and not something else, and can perform purposeful actions with them (for example, fold a tower), while maintaining a certain body posture and not being distracted by smells and sounds that are unimportant in a given situation.

The development of information processing processes occurs during the child’s active and varied interaction with the outside world. In the first 7 years of life, the child’s brain is configured, first of all, to process sensory information, the child’s perception and thinking are based directly on the sensations received, and the activity is predominantly motor in nature. The successful sensorimotor development of children during this age period contributes to the further development of their mental and social skills. Thus, sensory integration developed by children in early childhood and preschool age during games, speaking, and physical activity is the basis for more complex integration necessary for the development of writing, reading, counting and other educational programs, as well as for adequate social behavior and ability cope with problems.

Signs of sensory integration disorders

• the child is overly or undersensitive to touch, light, sound or movement
• the child avoids touching certain textures and consistencies: for example, sand, porridge, plasticine
• the child has problems with motor skills: cannot use cutlery, scissors, or writing utensils
• the child has difficulty learning to write, read (particularly misses letters and syllables), ride a bicycle, and follow instructions in general
• the child does not distinguish between right and left sides
• the child is short-tempered, impatient and avoids social contacts
• the child is insufficiently or too physically active, has muscle tone disorders, poor coordination of movements (clumsiness)
• the child has difficulty concentrating, is impulsive, or gets tired easily
• The child has delayed speech and motor development

How to help a child with sensory integration disorders?

First of all, try to understand the child: what exactly causes the painful perception of the environment? We will talk about three mutually complementary reasons and their manifestations:

It does not cope with the “requirements” and properties of the environment

He has a weakened, fragile nervous system

Excessive stress

Having understood the cause of the sensory integration disorder, try to reduce the effect of those stimuli that the child does not tolerate well, and “feed” them to him in doses through play. The principle of a functional diet applies here - just not from products, but from games, procedures and activities.

How to adjust

Here are several basic types of activity that can be combined depending on the specific manifestation of sensory disintegration.

Sensory impairment in children

General information

The sensory system is part of the nervous system and is responsible for perception. It consists of receptors, nerves and parts of the brain responsible for processing received signals. Sensory systems (analyzers)—motor, vestibular, auditory, visual, tactile—inform the child’s central nervous system about the characteristics of movement and create a comprehensive understanding of body position.

Sensory impairment in children

With cerebral palsy (especially in the hyperkinetic form), hearing acuity quite often decreases (usually noted for high-frequency tones). This may contribute to impaired pronunciation of a number of sounds in the absence of dysarthria. A child who does not hear high-frequency sounds (t, k, s, p, e, f, sh) does not use them in his speech production. Subsequently, difficulties are noted in teaching such children to read and write. Some patients have underdeveloped phonemic hearing. Any impairment of auditory perception can lead to delayed speech development, and in severe cases, to severe speech underdevelopment. Children with intellectual disabilities may also have other physical and developmental disabilities that can profoundly affect their mental and physical health. Such deviations are usually associated with the degree of intellectual impairment. If a child experiences a sensory disorder, it is necessary to seek help from a neurologist or psychologist.

Causes of sensory impairment

Sensory impairment in children is associated with a disorder in the part of nervous system responsible for perception. Sensory impairments include:

• hearing;
• vision;
• musculoskeletal function.

The causes of sensory disorders can be various injuries (for example, head or back), infectious and viral diseases of both the child and the mother during pregnancy (rubella, cytomegalovirus), sexually transmitted diseases of parents, pathological conditions of pregnancy and childbirth. Very often, sensory disturbances are observed in premature babies.

Sensory disorders are characterized by: the child’s lack of reaction to sound, light, speech impairment, and the inability to perform voluntary movements. Children suffering from sensory impairments often try to attract attention to themselves through movements; during a conversation, they carefully look at the movements of the interlocutor’s lips, their speech is difficult, and some sounds are pronounced incorrectly. If the central nervous system disorders are serious, then the child cannot move without assistance (with cerebral palsy, paralysis and paresis).

Treatment of sensory disorders in children

To correct sensory regulation, there are sets of special exercises that are aimed at improving integration between the channels of the sensory system. One of the most effective methods is the “sensory diet”. It consists of rubbing the child’s body every 2-3 hours with special brushes.

The method of changing sensitivity thresholds is to gradually accustom the child to the stimulus of touch through daily exercises. Experts often recommend this particular correction method to parents. Also very useful:

• rubbing the body with a sponge (for example, while bathing);
• body massage;
• crawling under the blanket;
• dragging the blanket on which the child across the floor;
• baby pushing heavy objects (large sofa ottomans, doll strollers or highchairs loaded with books for weight);
• tug of war;
• climbing exercise walls in the park or gym;
• jumping on the sofa or trampoline;
• pillow fight;
• walking on hands (legs supported by an adult);
• climbing stairs on all fours;
• imitation of special movements and jumps of different animals.

In addition, you can use exercises such as somersaults (with belay), jumping rope, exercises.

Working with plastic materials (dough, plasticine, clay, plaster), as well as playing with sand, perfectly develops motor skills. Accustom your child to work around the house (wiping dust, washing dishes, watering flowers and other care for indoor plants) or in the garden (planting plants and trees, caring for them, germinating seeds). Caring for animals, playing and interacting with them is another great way to develop sensory skills.

General recommendations

For advice, contact a specialist from our center. We will provide you with the primary necessary information by calling +7(921) 995-61-57, and at the appointment we will conduct a comprehensive diagnosis and draw up an individual plan for sensory therapy.

Correction of proprioception impairment

Sensory therapists in Europe are trained for 2 years. There are practically no such specialists in our country, but knowledge is gradually penetrating to us. What can be used to help such children (but in no case should you use violence, act through screaming and tears, the most important principle is “do no harm”):

• Weighted vest (good for hyperactive children; you can’t wear it all day! You need to wear it 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes);
• Weighted blanket (if you are going to put your child to sleep under it all night, the blanket should weigh no more than 15-20% of the child’s weight; it is better to use a weighted blanket for falling asleep, calming, relaxing, sensory unloading, and then put it away). It can also be used by normal children and adults to relieve stress;
• Wilbarger Protocol – a procedure for relieving tension through massage with a special stiff brush;
• Games for clapping, squeezing, tickling;
• Massage;
• Climbing through organized tunnels (for example, from blankets or special equipment for sensory integration), tight spaces;
• Sensory stocking (a special elastic stocking that is worn over the entire body, and when moving in the game, resistance to the fabric is formed);
• Motor correction, exercise therapy, physical activity, sensorimotor correction (some exercises cannot be used for children with epiactivity);
• Vibration (not for people with epiactivity).

Neuropsychologist Alexandrova O.A.

To make an appointment with a neuropsychologist, call (812) 642-47-02 or fill out the form on the website.