Sensory integration disorder, tactile defensiveness... “He needs some support for his vestibular system.” More and more, sensory issues are being talked about for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. Here is a quick cheat sheet for some of these terms.
Sensory Integration/Processing Disorder: “[A] condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses.” (http://www.spdfoundation.net)
Tactile System: This is the sense of touch and how information such as texture are gathered from the environment. Some individuals prefer heavy tactile input, whereas others are defensive in this area only preferring known textures.
Vestibular: This is the balance system which provides information on where one’s body is in space. Activities like spinning and the trampoline provide vestibular input.
Proprioceptive: This is our body movement in space. Activities such as pushing a heavy cart and wheelbarrow walking work on this area.
Visual: Visual system provides information about where other objects are in space and their features.
Auditory: This system provides information about sounds in the environment. Some individuals prefer to wear headphone to help better modulate environmental sounds.
Gustatory: This is our sense of taste. Ways to address this system include drinking through a thick straw, trying cold foods, crunchy foods, blowing bubbles.
Olfactory: This is a sense of smell. This sense is involved in things like scented markers, scratch-n-sniff candles. Some individuals may prefer to limit olfactory input.
For more information see: http://www.txautism.net/docs/Guide/Interventions/SensoryProcessing.pdf
Thank you for posting this list. Sometimes, especially in the begining, parents can become overwhelmed. They are often dealing with the shock of an autism diagnosis combined with a flood of new information and terms they have never heard before. I think every O.T. should hand this list to parents at the beginning of their first meeting.
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