Parents and Professionals about Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration

Newsletter #11 for Internationally Adopting Parents
March 26, 2006
PAL Center Inc.

In this issue

Adoption training courses are convenient and most affordable way
to quickly access a psychological consultation on the issues you
need to address.
Check out the course library,
use the opportunity to speak to the instructors

M. Windsor, ScD, OTR/L

Using special sensory integration equipment: pictures and comments

Online Catalogs with Sensory Integration Materials and Equipment

You receive this newsletter as a former client of the Center for Cognitive-Developmental Assessment & Remediation, or a former student of the Bgcenter Online School, or a user of the International Adoption Articles Directory.

Latest Articles
from the
International Adoption Articles
Directory

Bryan Post, Ph. D.
The Adopted Child: Trauma and Its Impact

Many adoptive families struggle for years to create the peaceful family of which they had dreamed. Regrettably, one of the main barriers preventing such family harmony is one of the least understood when it comes to understanding the plight of the adopted child. That barrier is trauma.

From our database:
Parents and Professionals' Views
on
Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration

Harriet White McCarthy
Occupational Therapy Needs Explored

An evaluation for sensory issues is as important as an evaluation for developmental issues in newly arrived children, and I have always recommended a scheduled appointment with a Developmental Pediatrician be made as soon as possible. An additional evaluation by an occupational therapist trained in sensory issues is well worth the modest price and a little more of your time.

Mary-Margaret Windsor, ScD, OTR/L
What is OT and What are General OT Needs of the Internationally Adopted Child?

Children who have experienced physical and social deprivation or trauma often exhibit delays and disruptions in their performance of normal life tasks and activities (occupations). In addition, the circumstances of institutionalization often force the child to develop atypical adaptive responses and behaviors (i.e., gaze aversion, fear, and lack of attachment with adults; attention getting through aggression; antagonism or withdrawal when relating to peers)...

Mary-Margaret Windsor, ScD, OTR/L
What are Sensory Integration (SI) and Disfunction of SI?

Sensory integration is a natural, neurologic phenomenon that occurs throughout the life span. The brain takes in information from the sensory receptors of the body (i.e., ears, eyes, skin, muscles, etc.), then processes and organizes it, which results in integration of information for use. This means that sensory integration allows the individual to act adaptively (e.g., engage, function, learn, be comfortable in experiences that are known or novel).

Harriet White McCarthy
Sensory Integration Disorder in Children Adopted from Eastern Europe

Being the mother of three older post-institutionalized children, I've had to acquaint myself with a variety of developmental issues, most of which I'd never heard of before I became an adoptive parent. Over the last 14 months since the adoption of my second and third child I've learned a great deal about Sensory Integration Disorder, it's symptoms and therapies, as well as it's critical effects on all aspects of a child's life.