What is sensory integration dysfunction (also called Dysfunction of Sensory Integration or DSI)?
Jean Ayres, O.T.R., Ph.D., defined sensory integration as “organization of sensory input for use” as she pioneered the research and development of sensory integration theory. Sensory information includes visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile (touch), vestibular (movement) and proprioception (body position). Ayres based much of her research on the last three – tactile, vestibular and proprioception – which are often called the “hidden senses.” These primitive senses are developed in utero prior to birth and are closely linked with other brain systems as development occurs. For most children, sensory integration is automatically part of typical childhood development. However, as Carol Stock Kranowitz describes in her easy-to-read book The Out-of-Sync Child, it does not happen automatically. Sensory integrative dysfunction occurs when the brain is unable to organize sensory information in a meaningful way. DSI impacts daily life for children and their families, as the children are not able
