SensoryNation: A Place to Start and Start Talking About Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

SensoryNation.com was founded in late 2003 to provide "a place to start and start talking" about Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

The founder was inspired by her now 7 year old son's successful journey and return to a "normal childhood." She brings extensive technological, business and entreprenuerial experience to the project, as well as an autodidactic and enthusiastic approach to learning. Most importantly, she possesses a passionate drive to help others whose families include a child dealing with the obstacles Sensory Integration Dysfunction throws his or her way.

The Journey

From as early as age 3, her son exhibited a constellation of puzzling symptoms: He liked his bath water very, very hot. He hated to have his face washed. He recoiled from hugs and kisses, despite being a very sweet child. He reacted to pain in an extreme manner, as if the slightest scratch was excruciating. He rarely climbed at the playground, preferring to stay in the sandbox. His drawings were not representational and he often reacted to change anxiously. He frequently covered his ears when he heard a loud sound and was startled by background noise others would ignore. More often than not, minor frustrations became the source of his ire.

In trying to understand this behavior, she spoke to a number of "professionals," including his pediatrician, preschool teacher and even a child psychologist. Not one mentioned Sensory Integration Dysfunction as a possibility. Not a single one. Instead, they each said it was a "stage" or a "personality trait" or that they saw no problems at all. He was just "sensitive" or "emotional" or "shy." Still, she intuitively knew better. Deep in her heart, she felt strongly that her son was behind a veil, that once lifted, would reveal the ebullient, bright child that he was. His symptoms, while individually innocuous, formed a constellation that drove her to ask the questions and find the answers.

Thank goodness for the Internet, the library and a chance discussion with an experienced teacher. Through a series of coincidences, she discovered "The Out-of-Sync Child" by Carol Stock Kranowitz. As she read page after page, she discovered her own son described within. Empowered by this book, she began to research the available treatment options for her son, amassing an enormous folder of booklets, brochures, articles and phone numbers. While many therapists touted their individual methods as best, she felt the best approach was one that integrated several approaches. As such, and with the help of professionals from several disciplines, she created an intervention plan that included a multi-sensory approach.

Today, through a variety of modalities and the professionals who provide them, her son is thriving: His visual motor integration scores went from 5th percentile to 98th percentile. He loves school and participates enthusiastically. He tackles the playground with fervor. He dances to loud music and loves going to the movies. He draws detailed pictures. He skateboards, rides his bike and now wants to learn to surf. He reads ferociously. He has many meaningful friendships. And he's an affectionate, highly-inventive child who handles change with aplomb. Thanks to his hard work and the efforts of the many professionals who care deeply about SIDKids, her son is a confident, happy and healthy little boy.

Of course, like all children, not every day is perfect for him, nor is everything at school easy for him. But sensory processing concerns are now 10% of his life, not 90%. For him, where they once predominated, sensory integration issues are a minute part of his life.

Our Mission

It is her hope that SensoryNation.com will provide others hope and help in finding the best solution for SIDKids. Whereas other sites on the Internet represent one type of therapeutic option or another, SensoryNation.com aims to provide a roadmap to a variety of options for your child. We are not here to give advice, but rather to serve as a guide to possibilities, information and hope.

A great deal of SIDKids are highly intelligent and gifted. Sensory Integration Dysfunction is a neurological disorder, not a cognitive or intellectual one. Often, a child's learning disabilities are simply Sensory Integration Dysfunction in hiding.

Ms. Mary Bolles
Sensory Learning Specialist

Dr. Shawn Centers, D.O., F.A.C.O.P.
Osteopathic Pediatrician

Ms. Cathy DeLeon, OTR
Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Ms. Bobbi Hanna, COTA
Pediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant

Ms. Joanne O'Neil
Early Childhood Educator

Dr. Peter Springall, PhD
Sensorimotor Developmentalist

Ms. Carolyn Taffel
Early Childhood Educator

General Questions:

info@sensorynation.com

sensory integration dysfunction contact info

"And I - I took the road less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. " - Robert Frost, 1874 –1963.

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