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Sensory Integration Global Network
Research & Literature
These documents provide citations and links to research abstracts of studies that support the principles identified as core aspects of the Ayres SI approach. These categories were derived from the Ayres’ SI® Fidelity measure (Please see http://spdfoundation.net/pdf/FidelityInSIResearch.pdf for more information about the fidelity measure).
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The searches are completed each year by volunteers who seek to find the most current research supportive of ASI principles. There are different volunteers each year.*
The research links provided are by no means exhaustive and anything missing is unintentional. If a viewer knows of a paper that should be included but is not, please email HMillerot@yahoo.com.
Readers are suggested to obtain the articles for themselves to read in entirety if the topic is of interest. Please note that readers must be responsible for reviewing the full articles to determine the rigor of the research methods within these studies. The inclusion of the study here does not indicate the explicit approval of SIGN regarding the study. These links are included merely to provide an overview of the current published research available for those who are interested to pursue obtaining these papers.
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2019- 2023
This section includes articles from the literature on specific sensory processing, and outcomes of enriched environments (both human and animal literature are included).
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ENSURES THAT ACTIVITIES ARE SUCCESSFUL
This section will include literature from the field of motor learning, regarding feedback from performance and literature from the field of psychology/learning regarding successful performance and engagement. We will also include relevant literature on self esteem.
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COLLABORATES IN ACTIVITY CHOICE
This section will include summaries of articles on the impact of choice making from the field of psychology and from the behavioral literature.
This inclusion in not meant to imply that specific behavioral strategies are related to Ayres’ Sensory Integration Approach. However, research on choice and choice making often is found within the behavioral literature.
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CHALLENGES PRAXIS AND ORGANIZATION OF BEHAVIOR
This section will include research on praxis, sequencing, timing, specifically.
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SUPPORTS SENSORY MODULATION FOR ATTAINING AND MAINTAINING A REGULATED STATE
This section will include summaries of articles on arousal and the neurobiology of arousal…suggesting that optimal arousal level is important for learning to occur.
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SUPPORTS CHILD’S INTRINSIC MOTIVATION TO PLAY
This section will include articles from literature on play and the importance of play (both to learning and for its own sake).
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CHALLENGES POSTURAL, OCULAR, ORAL AND/OR BILATERAL MOTOR CONTROL
This section will include research on postural control, bilateral-motor control, and ocular-motor control.
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ENSURE PHYSICAL SAFETY
This section will include literature on factors related to exploration in children and risk taking in children.
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Tailors Activity To Present Just Right Challenge
This section will provide abstracts related to research on proper scaffolding, “zone of proximal development” and related ideas. Papers on fostering motivation using appropriate challenge level will also be included here.
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ESTABLISHES A THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE
This section includes abstracts from literature about adult/ child interaction and therapeutic use of self.
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EFFECTIVENESS STUDIES OF AYRES SI
This section will include abstracts from the literature of studies that are specifically examining Ayres SI (and are using the fidelity measure).
PLEASE NOTE: You must review the entire article to determine the rigor of the methods chosen in these studies and whether or not the authors examined fidelity of intervention for ASI, or evaluated the subjects to ensure proper provision of intervention based on child difficulties and ASI theory.
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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SENSORY-MOTOR FUNCTION AND OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE OR SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS
This section will include abstracts from the literature documenting that sensory problems occur frequently in children with a variety of different conditions and diagnoses.
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POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF SENSORY DIFFICULTIES
This section will include summaries of articles from the psychology literature on temperament, shyness, behavioral inhibition and what they term sensory processing sensitivity. Also will be included certain relevant abstracts regarding long term effects of childhood trauma if related to sensory processing in some way.
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NEUROSCIENCE OR OTHER RELEVANT RESEARCH FOR SENSORY INTEGRATION THEORY
This section will include abstracts from the neuroscience literature hat help therapists to understand the difficulties children have behaviorally, through an understanding of what is happening neurologically
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SENSORY INTEGRATION ASSESSMENT AND TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT
This section will include papers about specific assessment tools, methods of measurement of specific sensory functions, or papers about typical development of sensory related skills.
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Prior to 2019________________________________________________________
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ENSURES THAT ACTIVITIES ARE SUCCESSFUL
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COLLABORATES IN ACTIVITY CHOICE
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CHALLENGES PRAXIS AND ORGANIZATION OF BEHAVIOR
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SUPPORTS SENSORY MODULATION FOR ATTAINING AND MAINTAINING A REGULATED STATE
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SUPPORTS CHILD’S INTRINSIC MOTIVATION TO PLAY
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CHALLENGES POSTURAL, OCULAR, ORAL AND/OR BILATERAL MOTOR CONTROL
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Tailors Activity To Present Just Right Challenge
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ESTABLISHES A THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE
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___________________________________Other Abstracts of Interest Prior to 2019
EFFECTIVENESS STUDIES OF AYRES SI
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EFFECTIVENESS STUDIES OF OTHER INTERVENTIONS USING SENSORY OR MOTOR ACTIVITIES
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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SENSORY-MOTOR FUNCTION AND OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE OR SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS
POTENTIAL LONG TERM IMPACTS OF POOR SENSORY PROCESSING AND OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS ON SENSORY PROCESSING
NEUROSCIENCE OR OTHER RELEVANT RESEARCH FOR SENSORY INTEGRATION THEORY
SENSORY INTEGRATION ASSESSMENT AND TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT
For more research, go to the website below:
https://sites.google.com/site/2020asivision/home
*Volunteers who have contributed to this page throughout the years SIGN has been in existence through searches, editing, or organizing this information.
Heather Miller Kuhaneck
Kathy Inamura
Sam Struthers
María del Pilar Saa
Lindsay Turse
Stephanie Brin
Malia Norman
Jeffrey Homan
Suzanne Ford
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New volunteers are always welcome. Contact Heather Miller Kuhaneck if you are interested. Please place SIGN research volunteer in the subject line: HMillerot@yahoo.com