Question
Learning disabilities seemed not to be mentioned with sensory integration and sensory processing. Is there a reason?
Answer
Actually, yes, there is a reason. Jean Ayres’ original 1950's, 1960's, even 1970's work was all around learning disabilities and children who were experiencing learning disabilities. The original sensory integration stuff came from that literature. As Shaw pointed out correctly, most of that literature and research has been widely discredited even within the profession because it does not meet today’s scientific methodology rigor. More of our literature has gone towards children with autism or children that we see as having exclusive sensory processing type of disorders and not so much focused on learning disabilities.
The original Jean Ayres' work looked at if we did sensory integration therapy and were able to integrate vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile functions, and treat that underlying brain stem responses, we would automatically see improvements in reading and in writing and other academic outcomes. The methodology is not really supported by today’s standards. We went in a different direction with the research more around autism and not so much around learning disabilities.
