Ayres Sensory Integration ® (ASI)
Sensory integration theory draws on findings from both basic and applied sciences to explain how we receive, sort, process, and utilize sensory information from our bodies and the environment, including touch, gravity, movement, sight, smell, hearing, and taste. This sensory input is sent to the brain, where it is organized and interpreted, allowing us to develop appropriate action plans that help us respond adaptively to our surroundings. A comprehensive assessment informs the creation of goals that address specific concerns and guide intervention recommendations. Ayres Sensory Integration® intervention is conducted within a professional practice framework, focusing on enhancing sensory perceptual abilities, self-regulation, motor skills, and praxis. This approach aims to support improved behavior, learning, and social participation for clients. Interventions occur in specialized therapy rooms equipped with sensory tools that offer tactile, visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular experiences in a structured manner, in collaboration with primary caregivers.
Sensory integration challenges can occur in individuals without diagnoses, as well as in infants, children, and adults with recognized conditions. This therapy has proven effective for issues such as learning difficulties, hyperactivity, attention deficits, dyspraxia, and autism. Throughout the therapeutic process, individuals develop specific skills or behaviors, but these are not the primary focus. Instead, the goal is to engage in physical activities that elicit sensations leading to adaptive responses, which can pave the way for more complex reactions. For children, the intervention emphasizes play, facilitating the creation of sensory experiences and the planning of actions in response to guided and progressively challenging tasks.