University of Southern California
Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science
USC
Occupational Therapy > Sensory Integration
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Sensory Integration

Sensory integration is a specialty area of occupational therapy that is based on over 40 years of theory and research. The term “sensory integration” is used in several different ways within this framework, to refer to:
  • The way the brain organizes sensations for engagement in occupation
  • A perspective for appreciating the sensory dimensions of human behavior
  • A set of clinical assessment and intervention strategies that address the sensory processing challenges that some individuals encounter in daily life.
Occupational therapists who specialize in sensory integration are familiar with neuroscience research that informs our understanding of brain processing of sensation, as well as with occupational therapy research that investigates specific types of sensory integration problems and various interventions designed to help individuals with these problems.

History of Sensory Integration

The sensory integration (SI) specialty was originally developed by A. Jean Ayres, PhD, OTR, who was both an occupational therapist and an educational psychologist. A former member of the USC occupational therapy faculty, she developed a theoretical framework, a set of standardized tests (today known as the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests.), and a clinical approach for identification and remediation of SI problems in children. Her publications on sensory integration span a 30-year period from the 1960s through the 1980s, and include psychometric studies, as well as clinical trials and single case system studies. More about Sensory Integration.

What Does SI-Based Occupational Therapy Look Like?

Most SI research and practice focuses on young children who have a variety of developmental and learning problems, including autism and other developmental disabilities, developmental risk conditions, behavior and attention disorders, learning disabilities, and developmental coordination disorder. Clinical assessment is critical in ascertaining whether a sensory processing issue is a factor in the child’s life problems, and if so, which intervention strategies will best help the child and family. Assessment usually includes standardized testing, systematic observation, and parent or teacher interviews. Intervention may consist of one or more of the following strategies: intensive individual occupational therapy sessions to improve SI functioning, group or individual sessions to help the child develop compensatory skills and cognitive strategies, consultation with parents and teachers to help them gain insight into the child’s SI-related behavior problems, and referral to selected community programs that will support the child’s development through participation in activities such as swimming, horseback riding, dance, or karate. If individual OT is chosen to improve SI functioning, it usually takes place within a specially designed clinical environment that allows the therapist to present specific sensory and movement challenges to the child, which gradually increase in complexity over time. This kind of intervention is characterized by a playful atmosphere in which the child is encouraged to generate ideas for activities, to flexibly respond to novel challenges, and to develop confidence as well as competence.

Training in Sensory Integration

Dr. Ayres founded the OT 610 course at USC to provide graduate OT students, as well as experienced occupational therapists, with the background knowledge and clinical skills for advanced practice in this area, including expert mentorship in delivering individual therapy aimed at improving SI functioning. Certification in sensory integration is available through the USC-WPS Comprehensive Program in Sensory Integration. Certification requires completion of four courses in this program, which address theory, testing and assessment, interpretation of assessment data and intervention planning, and intervention delivery. Two of the OT elective courses at USC count toward certification in sensory integration: OT 564 and OT 610.