Sensory Integration Therapy - experiences

[Firsttimer7259]

We start this on Tuesday - 6 weeks and if it seems to have benefit another 6. My D is 2.2 with significant GDD.
-Is there anything we should ask about look out for? (eg: are there different types of the therapy)
-what was your childs reaction to it? (Could she be distressed - be helpful if I could prepare myself for likely meltdown)

Anything else

Apparently they ahve a room with hammocks, swings rollers etc. My D has no aversions that anyone has spotted.

Just a bit nervous about it riight now

It can be brilliant. Are you getting it for free? Or do you have to pay for it?

The only problem is it normally takes a lot of sessions to help. So if you can get 12 for free you're doing really well.

If this is private be prepared to keep it up for a while.

We had a grant to pay for private SIT. It was fantastic.

DS did it at 5-6 yrs old. She used various swings, games, balls, massive bean bags etc. She gave him body brushes. We actually still have some sessions to go but it makes DS feel sick so he doesn't want to do it. What it did do was to let him go on the swings in the park for the first time since a very tiny baby, he is now much less sick in the car. I need to get him back for the last sessions - I think he has had 10 so far with 5 still to go.

I would definitely recommend it but as her senses may be out of whack, be aware of her possibly becoming distressed if she starts to feel sick (or whatever her sensory issue is) and that the OT is aware so she doesn't push it too far. However I did find that he needed to be pushed outside his comfort zone and that each time, the comfort zone extended until the amount that he was able to spin and swing was hugely extended.

He used to run and jump around the house all the time before as he needed to and this stopped completely following the SIT.

They will make it fun and age appropriate :)

What sort of things do they do as part of SIT? DS has had a few SI exercises as part of his RRT as part of Vision Therapy. He had to do things like tapping hands and feet in time to a beat based on visual information.

DNiece has recently been dx with AS and her parents don't really know where to go from here. They have not been offered any therapies. Her biggest presenting issue is sensory (eating is a nightmare for her) and I am sure SIT would help. Can she get it on NHS or is it all private? Is there a list of practitioners anywhere?

Thanks (and sorry for the hijack) xx

We got 4 SIT sessions on the NHS (which is not nearly enough). OTs do it.

Google OTs near you and see which offer SIT. If you do it privately, it is going to be expensive.

You shouldn't need to do both RRT and SIT, AFAIK. They're both working on the same thing (but in different ways)

Your DNiece could do RRT instead of SIT, through someone like Hemispheres (or others - depends where she lives)

We used the Tunbridge Wells partner of Hopscotch

This is from their website. We paid £65 per session in Kent plus the assessment was £430.

How therapy works

"Therapy involving therapeutic sensory experiences...can be more effective than drugs, psychological analysis, or rewards and punishment in helping the brain and body to develop optimally"

During Sensory Integration Therapy, the child is guided through activities that challenge his or her ability to respond appropriately to sensory input by making a successful organised response (SII, 1991). Therapy takes place in a safe and interesting environment and through the use of specialised suspended equipment the child is afforded the opportunity to integrate sensations arising from the vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, visual, and auditory systems. Treatment is developed in collaboration with the child and aims at meeting the child's specific needs for development. The activities are also designed to elicit autonomic responses and are graded to lead

to higher levels of organisation that will promote the child's interaction with the environment. Specific skills training is not part of sensory integration treatment, rather activities are used to help the child develop the underlying abilities that are necessary for learning and mastering of skills.

Sensory Integration Therapy & Equipment

Therapy using sensory integration as a frame of reference is dynamic and fun for the child. The clinical setting is safe and provides the child with the opportunity to explore appealing pieces of equipment: platforms to swing on, barrels to climb through, trapezes to swing from, and big blocks to climb over. The therapist and the child engage in a play situation where the child is motivated to seek new experiences and under the guidance of the trained professional to achieve success that probably would not occur in unguided play. The playful atmosphere incorporates opportunities for the child to take in enhanced sensation and promotes adaptive interactions with the environment.

Thanks x

DS2 had & still has SIT, we are very fortunate to have a NHS specialist sensory OT.
Has your dd had a full sensory & motor OT assessment?
SIT should be taylored to the child so before they know which areas to work on they need to know strengths & difficulties.
DS2 had full sens & motor OT assessment, physio assessment & phsychology assessment all overseen by the specialist OT who then sorted a programme.
He has had 3 months of weekly SIT at the centre supported by stuff at home & school.
It has been completly amazing, so much improvement.

To get the best outcome they need to know what they are working on.
I would ask.
What areas are they working on
What you can do at home to support it
How they will measure effectiveness

In 9 yrs of appointments I cna honestly say it is the only therapy ds2 has ever really enjoyed... he loved it!
Good luck

She loved it!! It was so nice to do something she responded so positively to
The OT is going slow checking for reactions etc, she has a prog worked out ect. I am hugely impressed and happy. I think it may be v beneficial - I had seen a youtube clip on this once and the child they used it on is the only child where I have ever thought 'hmm he seems a lot like D'

And thank you all for the advice and suggestions

That's really good to hear! :)