Sensory Integration Training at Home: A Practical Parent's Guide

Children do not simply see, hear and touch. The brain has to receive, filter and combine signals from all of the senses before movement, attention, emotion and learning can work smoothly. Sensory integration training is a structured way of giving the brain the patterned sensory input it needs to do that better.

It is worth stating what this is not. It is not a cure, and it is not a fixed set of exercises to be pushed through. Done properly it is a child-centred, playful, graded programme built into ordinary daily life.

The systems involved

What parents notice

Observation by parents is valuable, but the guideline is clear that formal assessment and programme design belong to a qualified paediatric occupational therapist or developmental specialist.

Five principles

Home activities by system

For proprioception: heavy work that involves pushing and pulling - moving a box, pulling a rope, carrying a lightly loaded backpack as a game - for fifteen to twenty minutes; lifting, throwing and catching objects of different weights; and climbing on low structures to build trunk stability. Avoid heavy loads that stress joints, and avoid pulling or twisting postures.

For touch: sensory bins of sand, rice or beans explored with the fingers while naming the texture; clay and play dough work to develop finger strength; and gentle brushing with a soft brush over increasing areas, watching for signs of distress. Watch the skin for redness and stop if the child is persistently uncomfortable.

For vision and hearing: tracking games with a brightly coloured ball, gradually faster and less predictable; music and clapping games where the child performs an action on a beat or stops on cue; and a designated quiet corner where an overloaded child can recover.

Keeping it useful