We will be hosting a Q & A session tonight. Come and join us to hear about Sensooli and Chewigem products. We will be joined tonight on the call by Jenny McLaughlan and Loz Young, who will be telling us more about Chewigem and their new initiative Sensooli . They are keen to hear therapist feedback about their products and how this relates to our practice;including what we might like to know more about. For more information please see https://chewigem.com/and their new spacehttps://sensooli.com/.
Please post any questions before the session to the ASI in Practice Telegram Group or email through to hello@asi-wise.org.
This is an open evening session, so please also do bring any others questions or chat about anything related to ASI.
PANDAS and PANS Sensory Integration and Processing Difficulties
Sensory Systems: Vestibular processing deficits, often low PRN Poor postural control especially antigravity extension Can slouch, slump – extension against gravity is tricky and tiring Likes to move and not stop/fidgeting Can have low levels of alertness when not moving Scared of the dark without visual input to support spatial understanding Altered spatial awareness Poor grading of force May appear ‘low toned’ – but normal Beighton Scale Poor self-awareness – spatial; position in space and body awareness ARFID and picky eating | often poor tactile registration and poor modulation Super sensitive to some tastes Altered temperature perception Delayed cues re ill, nauseous, hungry, full or needing toilet Hyper-responsivity to some textures and light touch eg certain fabrics/textures May dislike light touch; skin, hair, tooth and nail care can be tricky Dislike being touched or held when not on own terms Slow or under-responsivity to pain, Hyper-responsivity in far senses; smell, vision and hearing
The dyspraxic patterns seen can include; Often bumping into things and people Difficulty playing with manipulating tools and toys Difficulty learning new/novel movement/motor skills Fine motor co-ordination difficulties e.g., handwriting, bilateral co-ordination, poor tool use Speech praxis difficulties include stutter, slurred words, poor pronunciation and timing Ideation, planning and execution can all be affected.
Emotion Regulation Rage Anger Irritability Poor frustration tolerance Difficulties with co and self-regulation Poor self-awareness – emotional lability is common Tearful one moment, raging the next 0-100 in 3 seconds
Executive Function Poor processing speed Multi-tasking is hard Poor timing and sequencing Poor concentration and focus Slow to perform tasks ? observed difficulties with language processing ? observed difficulties with more complex and abstract problem solving that is age-appropriate
Fatigues easily and needs lots of reset time May go ‘off legs’ Looks like have regressed
May need much parental encouragement and support Lose resilience to trying new things Low self-esteem
Older children Self-loathing and disgust at self Extreme fear and losing control of agency over the world Awareness of personality change and burden on parents and siblings
“a particularly effective form of communicating (non-verbal) support, which in addition facilitates the formation and maintenance of social bonds, is touch”
This article by science mag uses the analogy of predictive coding to explore how a mismatch between what the brain predicts might happen with what actually happens can cause the brain to be in a constant state of surprise. It attempts to explain some of the core features of Autism, Sensory Integration differences, poor habituation, focus on detail rather than the big picture and difficulties with social interaction…
“In Ayaya’s telling, her autism involves a host of perceptual disconnects. For example, she feels in exquisite detail all the sensations that typical people readily identify as hunger, but she can’t piece them together. “It’s very hard for me to conclude I’m hungry,” she says. “I feel irritated, or I feel sad, or I feel something [is] wrong. This information is separated, not connected.” It takes her so long to realize she is hungry that she often feels faint and gets something to eat only after someone suggests it to her.” Read more here…
“…When creating an intervention plan, occupational therapy practitioners evaluate children with autism using observation and parent and teacher reports and also interview parents about their child’s relationships and eating, self-care, and daily living skills…”
Occupational therapy using an Ayres’ Sensory Integrative approach – research supports the use of Ayres’ Sensory Integration, not just for Autism but also for other neurodevelopmental difficulties. See ASI 2020 Vision Goal 1 – Scholarship recent research and FB Group Evidence ASI
You can also read more about The Role of Occupational Therapy in Supporting Parents of Children With Autism on AOTA’s website
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