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ATTENTION |
Attention is a
complex behaviour that requires the integration of several areas of the
brain. The first component of attention is "registration", our initial
awareness of a change in sensory stimuli. The second component of
attention is "orienting", an increase in our level of alertness. The
final component is involves "effort" or exploration of the stimulus.
For example, our effort might be to listen to or watch the stimulus. |
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Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) |
Is a disorder in
which children are unable to pay attention, control their activity, and
restrain impulsive behaviour. These problems may interfere with a
child’s ability to hear or read instructions, complete school
assignments, participate in games, and perform tasks at home. A
diagnosis of ADHD is determined by a health professional based on
observation of the child’s behaviour by parents, educators, and health
professionals. |
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AUTISM |
Autism is a
developmental disability that affects how the brain functions,
specifically those areas of the brain that control social ability and
communication skills. Boys are more likely to develop autism, and most
children are diagnosed before the age of 3. |
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BILATERAL
INTEGRATION |
The ability to use the
two sides of the body together in a coordinated manner. Examples of
bilateral tasks include: running, skipping and jumping with both feet
together. |
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COORDINATION |
Includes both motor
control and praxis (motor planning). Motor control is the ability to
move with precision and smooth quality. Praxis is defined below. |
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FINE
MOTOR
CONTROL |
Involves development of
manipulation skills in the hands to eventually allow for efficient and
precise manipulation of objects. Sensory motor skills must be well
developed for this to occur, including postural control, sensory
modulation and praxis. |
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MUSCLE
TONE |
Is
the tension in a muscle. Muscle tone should be high enough to hold a
position against gravity, yet low enough to move a body joint through
its full range of motion. Abnormal muscle tone would be either extreme
tension or lack of tension in a muscle. |
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POSTURAL CONTROL |
Posture Control is the ability
to sustain the necessary background posture to efficiently carry out a
skilled task, such as reading or handwriting. The ability to stabilize
the trunk and neck underlies the ability to develop efficient eye and
hand movements. |
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PRAXIS |
This is the
medical term used to describe motor planning. That is to organize and
carry out a sequence of unfamiliar actions. Inadequate praxis, Apraxia,
is often a symptom of inadequate sensory processing. Long term problems
noted in children with apraxia, include: clumsiness, difficulty
performing motor tasks at age level, difficulty following directions and
imitating movement. |
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PRIMITIVE REFLEXES |
These "primitive"
reflexes assist the infant in successfully progressing through various
stages of movement so they may learn to roll, crawl, sit and walk, etc.
Babies are born with reflexes. As a child matures, these the child is
able to move without the need of these reflexes and they become more
integrated and do not predominate or direct movement patterns.
Sometimes a reflex continues to direct or dominant movement after an age
where it is normally integrated. We would consider this an abnormal
reflex pattern. |
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PROPRIOCEPTION |
This is information that the
brain receives from our muscles and joints to make us aware of body
position and body movement. Proprioceptive makes a strong contribution
to praxis, to the child's ability to grade movement and to postural
control. |
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SELF
REGULATION |
Self Regulation is the ability
to attain, maintain and change your level of arousal appropriately for a
task or situation. Arousal is considered a state of the nervous system
and describes how alert someone feels. To attend, concentrate and
perform tasks according to situational demands, the nervous system must
be in an optimal state of arousal (or alertness) for the particular
task. Adults use a variety of subtle sensory techniques to maintain
their arousal level. |
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SENSORY INTEGRATION |
Organization of
sensations for use. Our senses give us information about the physical
conditions of our body and the environment around us. The brain must
organize all of these sensations if a person is to move and learn and
behave normally. |
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SENSORY MODULATION |
The ability to
regulate our responses in a manner proportional to the sensory stimuli.
Some children has an increased level of arousal and seem to be over
responsive to sensory input. This is described as sensory
defensiveness. Children at the other end of the spectrum have a
decreased level of arousal and seem to be under responsive to sensory
input. This is referred to as sensory dormancy. Both extremes of
modulation may be seen in one child to the same type of stimuli, but
generally, one extreme tends to dominate. Both, cause the child to have
difficulty with allocation of attention and interfere with the
development of sensory processing skills. |
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TACTILE |
Is our sense of touch.
The sense of touch is a child's first way to learn about the external
world. It is a critical sense to developing relationships with primary
care givers and to giving comfort. The sense of touch plays a very
important role in the child's development of body awareness and is
critical in the development of praxis (motor planning). |
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VESTIBULAR |
This is the sense
that allows us to recognize how we are moving in relationship to
gravity. Receptors in our ears sense if we are upright, upside down,
moving sideways, spinning, etc. As a result of this sensory input, we
make adjustments to posture and to our eye movements. Vestibular
sensation has a strong impact not only on posture and eye movements, but
also on: balance, coordination of the two body sides, and emotional
control. Accurate vestibular processing is essential for the
development of praxis. |
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VISUAL MOTOR SKILLS |
Is the development of
smooth and efficient eye movements to allow for tracking of objects,
focusing on specific targets and shifting gaze from one object to
another. |
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VISUAL PERCEPTION |
The brain's ability to
interpret and make sense of visual images seen by the eyes. |
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