Helping Autism with Sensory therapy

Sensory integration therapy helps in improving the life of autistic children. There have been many researches in the last couple of years that have proved to be efficient in the helping the children to cope up with the autistic disease.

This therapy helps the children to connect with the world and interact with the environment. Children, who are autistic often, feel difficult to react and manage their sensory discernments. They are violent and have self-destructive behavioural patterns. They also sometimes don’t feel their own physicality and might not feel anything. For example, a normal child would resent banging his/her head on the wall because they are aware that they would get hurt. But an autistic child would not have the same sensory perceptions and might bang their head in walls.

The aim behind using the sensory integration therapy is to integrate these behaviours by teaching them ways to utilise information collected through these senses like taste, smell, touch, hearing and seeing and teach them ways to respond to these senses. In simple words, with the help of sensory therapy, these children or people suffering from dementia or hyper-sensitivity get more accustomed to their senses thereby helping them to perform these tasks easily on daily basis. It also helps in developing physical awareness.

The therapy is conducted by creating an environment for children that can be fun for kids. If seen as a third person, it might look like a normal playtime for children. The environment is designed is such a way that encourages children to play with sensorytherapy products like balls of different sizes and textures or other educational products. Other activities might include playing with clay or other materials. Slowly and gradually looking at the development in the child, the therapist can make these activities complex and complicated. This would help in challenging the brain to respond in difficult situations.

Studies have shown great improvements in kids going through this therapy versus the children who are not engaged in any kind of therapy. Therefore, there is no harm in having your child try the sensory therapy, but you can also look out for ways that are more effective.