Early Intervention for Young Children
With Sensory Integration Conditions and the
Role of an Occupational Therapist
Kassandra Griffin
Keiser University
Early Intervention for Young Children with Sensory Integration Conditions
And the Role of an Occupational Therapist
Sensory integration is a condition that can be found in young children. This condition is defined as the difficulty of developing motor and cognitive skills at a typical rate(book). If the parent of a child with this condition is fully aware, most likely they will take the steps they need to better their child’s life. With that being said, the child will need an occupational therapist. The researcher has gathered information on the steps and guidelines of what an occupational therapist needs to follow for early intervention, the benefits it has for the child in need, and also the roles of an occupational therapist that will be further discussed. One of the most important role that an occupational therapist can do for a child with sensory integration is early intervention. The earlier you acknowledge the condition, the better outcome the child has at improving his/her physical and mental capabilities. Early intervention helps these children strive towards a path that improves their abilities and skills that are developed during these crucial years. Early intervention is a sequence of steps and guidelines on how to improve the child’s developmental skills, which are performed by the
In the video ‘Early Intervention: The Missing Link’ a presumably deaf woman explains how confident deaf people are, how they are not disabled, and how doctors should be more sensitive with families of deaf children. However, I think this is not only a presumptuous point of view, but also a fine example of how political correctness is slowly taking over society.
The therapist may choose to focus on children who struggle with fine-motor activities, such as holding a pencil or tying shoelaces. Other pediatric occupational therapists specialize in sensory integration therapy. The role of the occupational therapist is to help patients improve or maintain skills for day-to-day activities and well-being, but more importantly, to provide hope and support in a time of
Chapter two discusses various theorists that helped to mold and shape early childhood education to where it is today. There are several different theorists that contributed to the development of early childhood education. Some of these theorists include Alfred Adler, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and John Dewey. Each theorist developed a unique theory that has caused early childhood guidance and education to flourish like it has today. Without learning and building on these theories, early childhood guidance and education would never develop or change. The chapter explains how some theories may seem strange to the contemporary families, but these theories are the foundation of how early childhood education got to where it is today. The book goes
“Early roots of play as a best practice for early learning was documented by Plato, a Greek philosopher, who insisted that play is considered a natural activity of childhood.”(Ingrid Crowther, 2011, Pg. 2) Early Childhood Education is a term that refers to educational programs that are devoted to children from birth to the age of eight. “Children of this age learn by exploring and investigating; therefore, their environment should support and encourage this process.”(Rebecca Isbell and Betty Exelby, 2001, Pg. 11) Early childhood environments should be attractive and exciting. These environments should allow children to work and play using proper resources, materials, and tools.
For infants and toddlers with severe disabilities, the early years of development were crucial to attain optimal development (Guralnick, 2000), with an important factor the parent-child relationship. The parent(s) are the first person the child interacts with (Aydin & Yamac, 2014), continually shaping his or her social, emotional, communicative, and cognitive abilities (Landry et al., 2006, as cited in Warren & Brady, 2007, pp. 300). Conducive to this outcome, maternal responsivity and positive parenting (Dyches et al., 2012) should be key characteristics of parent-child
This research report presents an analysis of and conclusions drawn from the experiences and perspectives of two educators that work in the early childhood setting. The main objective is to identify key elements and issues in relation to the families, diversity and difference. In particular how an early childhood educator implements, different approaches to honour culture and diversity, and to advocate for social justice in an early childhood settings. As such, it allows an insight into the important role that families and their background plays in the everyday lives of the children and educators within early childhood settings. In today’s ever-changing growing society it is essential for educators to be flexible to the
Early education for children is very crucial as it helps shape up the foundation of their knowledge and behavior development process. Children begin to develop the sense of curiosity from the age of two. And from age 2-8, children go through a very crucial period of mental development, which shapes up their future mindset (Grayson, 2016). Early children education (ECE) has been listed as the number one priority of the National Association of Education. The teachers or educators at nursery and primary level are responsible to for developing young children’s sense of knowledge and education. In this paper, we will assess the roles and skills that are vital for an early childhood educator. Moreover, the paper will also present a
Early intervention is a process which involves stepping into a child’s life as soon as possible to tackle problems. ‘Early’ does not necessarily mean at an early age but in this case it refers more to the stage in the development of a child’s problems. Early intervention is important as the earlier a problem is identified; the more likely it is that the problem can be corrected before serious consequences arise, sometimes resulting in a child’s death (Mahoney 2007, p-3).
Occupational therapists help children make of sensory experiences involving sights, smells, touch, sounds, tastes and movement. Children with learning disabilities or autism may experience serious difficulties processing, understanding and reacting to sensory stimulation. The ability of these children to process sensory information may impacted by either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to stimulation. Many children who engage in problematic behaviors or anti-social tendencies may actually be experiencing difficulties processing and understanding sensory information and their environment. Occupational therapists use observation and data collection to create a plan that addresses and rectify specific behaviors.
Many people can agree that working with children is rewarding. And yet, sometimes the education system tends to be overlooked for those with a disadvantage. Unfortunately, according to one source “Up to 15% of school-age children are believed to have sensory challenges, and at least 40% of individuals with developmental disabilities and 80% of those with autism are affected” (Research opportunities, 2014, p. 244). With that being said, some schools or Occupational therapy school-based consultation (OTSBC), have incorporated Occupational therapy in their facilities to help their students develop and succeed in life. This is great news for children with disabilities whether it be a sensory processing disorder (SPD), birth defect or a physical/mental
Many parents believe that they are the reason why their child acts a certain way. Researchers are unable to pin point exactly what is the cause of sensory integrated problems but are able to narrow down several possible directions such as genetic factors, premature birth, birth trauma, viruses, illnesses, drugs or alcohol during pregnancy and many more. Unable to understand their child’s behavior, parents have chosen to medicate their child to help them focus. These children may show signs of unacceptable or inappropriate behavior such as very active, inattentive, impulsive, impatient or very loud. Even though some parents may believe their child is aware and conscious of their behavior, they are not. Children are having a very difficult time focusing even if they are trying their hardest. Another approach that therapist have found helpful is sensory integration therapy. “Sensory integration therapy also known as SI therapy is a method of treating children who have problems processing sensory stimuli called sensory integration disorder.” Professionals must approach each child with a sensory integration disorder in a positive way. Therapist must challenge the students and create a setting that would allow the students to feel a sense of accomplishment. According to “Helping hyperactive kids” the feeling of success is an important first step in your child’s ability to process sensory stimuli.
This agency is facing a number of extensive issues, among them, misconduct and lack of accountability. The problems within this department have extended outside of the agency concerning the mayor, city council, and the community members. This agency needs to show its community that it is dedicated to serving and protecting the public with the utmost honor and respect for the law. As a consultant for this agency, I have outlined a plan of action that will deal with the crucial problems within this department including the misconduct, the lack of accountability, high turnover rate, as well as how to inform the media on the new positive changes this office will undergo.
Also, Feil, et.al (2014) suggested the First Step intervention program. This program will help to reduce behavioral problems before entering school. However, the study showed that child assigned to the Preschool First Step intervention had significantly higher social skills, and significantly fewer behavior
The YouTube video I found, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iHuP7JkjWM is called Children’s Occupational Therapy. The video not only addresses how the OT conducts the evaluation and intervention process, but also OT within a setting with a social emphasis and a setting with a biological emphasis. The video demonstrates how the OT can come into the home within a biological setting and look at all aspects of development in order to see what skills are causing the child difficulty. The OT in home health care looks to see if skills are compensated because of medical issues. OT’s within home health care can work on sensory skills that cause difficulties in occupational performance at home. The parents of one of the children in the video, Ben, explained
Four year olds are still very much learning through the use of their senses (Blaustein, 2005). As well, some children may have special needs concerning sensory processing and integration (Ayers, 1994). Children with sensory processing disorders range from over-responsive, under-responsive, to sensory craving (Ayers, 1994). Nonetheless, every person encounters a plethora of sensory stimuli each day and must take in information and integrate it with prior knowledge to make meaningful responses (Ayers, 1994). Multisensory centers provide young children with and without special needs with the opportunity to seek out sensory stimulation, acquire sensory integration and motor skills, learn coping skills, and understand basic scientific concepts (Blaustein, 2005).