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Summary: finally, an explanation!
Review: When my son, at age 2, was evaluated by professionals in our city's Early Intervention program, and diagnosed as having sensory issues along with some developmental delays (fine motor and speech) and apraxia, I had no idea what they were talking about. Our OT suggested I read The Out-of-Sync-Child and click, I got it. Suddenly all these "quirky" behaviors of my son's made sense: The intense craving for movement like swinging or jumping (while other kids in the swings smiled, he was hysterically whooping, and when other kids needed quiet time before bed, he needed to jump to exhaustion). The vigorous head shaking. The penchant for lying on the floor or the sidewalk, particularly in the middle of a tantrum. He pushed puzzle pieces so hard they'd pop out of place, smack a drum or xylophone so hard that he'd almost break the beater. His focus was terrible--and yet, if we "overstimulated" him by playing airplane or crushing him with pillows, suddenly his focus would be terrific. After reading this book, I understood that he has problems processing proprioceptive and vestibular sensations--these are senses I didn't even know we have. Now that my husband and I understand the importance of giving him the stimulation he needs, we can see a huge improvement. The behaviors have lessened and his focus is a thousand times better. I can't recommend this enough to anyone who suspects their child has sensory issues.
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Summary: Sensory Integration - A physical condition can be alleviated
Review: This book is a life-saver for the child and the parent. If you are willing to consistently apply the techniques Carol recommends, you can desensitize your child's overly sensitive areas, and sensitize your child's undersensitize areas, in a manner of speaking. You can learn to adjust your environment to accommodate the neurophysiological problems that underlie the behaviors you're witnessing. And you should consider Central Auditory Processing, as well. Your child, as Carol and Larry clearly explain, cannot help the reactions when that flight/fight syndrome is triggered. Many children with SI Dysfunction also have autonomic problems, and these techniques help with those problems, too. I am giving a copy to each of my child's teachers, just so they have a good understanding of her problems. I wish this book had been out when we were dealing with my child's early development; we had to learn these things the hard way. Furthermore, Carol's work is right in line with the Neonatal research that proved touch and massage increase growth weight in Neonatal Intensive Care; the research that proved touch therapy increases the rate of healing after surgery, etc., for those skeptics among you that pooh pooh the general idea of touch. Bravo!
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Summary: More formula than reality
Review: I was given this book when I was diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction as a teen. While I am autistic and definitely have sensory issues, I found that this book did not describe them -- or what to do about them -- very well. It restricted itself to vestibular, tactile, and proprioceptive issues. Auditory and visual processing issues were only discussed briefly, and only in relation to those categories. Even within those categories, people with SI dysfunction were most often portrayed as staying within a subcategory, most often oversensitive or undersensitive. A person being both at once, experiencing distortions, or changing between levels of sensitivity, was not explored much, despite its commonness. The book is full of checklists which seem to reinforce the categories, but left me wondering where I fit into them. On the other hand, within the categories, it does a fairly good job of explaining some of the experience of these different things. I learned some things about proprioception through reading this book, although it did not do a very good job of connecting the concepts together with each other in a way I could understand. I suspect that this, as well as my other problems with the book, was because many of the descriptions were applications of formula and theory, which has a way of being more neat and tidy than reality. It is easy to divide tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular senses, then to subdivide difficulties in each one and assign visual, auditory, and emotional problems to some of those difficulties. It is hard to apply those descriptions to real life. I have heard a lot of good things about this book, but I have been unable to apply much of it to my life with the sensory problems themselves.
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Summary: I Finally Understand What My Daughter Is Going Through!
Review: I highly recommend this book to parents of children who are diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. I learned alot about how my daughter perceives or "feels" the world. This opened my eyes and helped me understand why she "melts down." It also gave me a variety of suggestions on how to help her (and me!)cope with daily life. I sent this book to her teacher in the hopes that she would come to understand some of my daughter's behaviors as well. She is in the processing of reading and re-reading it. Her classroom has become a much more "sensory friendly" place for my daughter as a result. I would also recommend readings from Stanley Greenspan and his floor time approach to development. Especially for children who have other developmental disabilities as well.
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Summary: Out-of-sync Review
Review: How to help the parents carers & teachers understand a misinterpretation of communication is a great way to describe the information in this book. While most times the so called informed are unaware of such a thing as out-of-sync to stumble over this informed text has put the puzzling pieces of our childs approach to life into an understandable picture. It does not force "one specific" title on the childs action/reactions but offers so much relative information for all to be better able to approach situations. As a mother you know your child better than any one else & I have always said that my son just does it different, with full understanding, but not knowing why. Now after finding out the long hard way I would recommend anyone of authority that has to deal with early childhood development read this book so as to be able to better guide parents of such special children. All parents would benefit from reading a book such as this.
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Summary: A "must have" for anyone who has children in their lives!
Review: What was once seen as unexplainable outbursts, violent temper tantrums, instances of complete withdrawal and other "bad behavior" are finally explained from the viewpoint of a child with SI. Parents and teachers alike will discover that these children are simply interacting and reacting to a world that assaults him/her with overwhelming sensations. Where punishment has been ineffective, this book steps in to fill the gap. It teaches parents and other caregivers not only what Sensory Integration Disorder is and how it affects a child but what possible triggers may exist and how to address them. Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book is not to teach adults how to counter sensory overload but to help adults teach the child to cope with this common disorder that will be with him/her throughout his/her life.
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Summary: Should be required reading for anyone who works with kids
Review: The concept of Sensory Intregration Dysfuction is difficult to grasp. It sounds like some touchy feely diagnostic fad at first. It's even harder to explain to those around you. This book is an excellent detailed account of what it means, what to look for, what to do to correct it. Through this book we began to find help for our child and it was the first clue of an underlying more serious disorder (in his case, Asperger Syndrome.) Once you understand Sensory Integration Dysfuction you can spot it so easily it's hard to believe you could miss it before. On a playground, in a classroom, at Sunday school I can pick out the kids who have sensory issues in a heartbeat. If teachers were armed with this book they could save themelves, the parents and especially the chidren so much heartache. Kids would be diagnosed faster and be able to overcome their difficulties. If you have children in your life, please read this book. Knowledge is power.
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Summary: Excellent resource for parents and teachers
Review: As a parent of two boys who have been evaluated for speech, coordination delays, learning disabilities, and ADD, I found this book to be extremely helpful in identifying and understanding the reason for my sons difficult behaviors. The book clearly explains behaviors of Sensory Integration Dysfunction and includes several check lists to make observation and assessment easy for parents and teachers. The authors describe how to find professionals to diagnose and treat SI. There are concrete suggestions for how to help children with SI at home, school, and through therapy. The book includes an extensive list of resources for information and support materials. This was a book that truly changed the way I viewed my children and the way I handled their difficult behaviors. I am so grateful to have read it.
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Summary: From an Educator's Viewpoint
Review: The Out-of-Sync Child was a text book for one of my early childhood education courses. This is a wonderful tool for both educators and parents. I feel this book gives hope to parents and techniques for teachers to help make all children feel comfortable in the classroom. Working with preschool children, I feel it is my duty to make sure every child's learning style is taken into consideration. I feel it is imparative for parent, teacher, and occupational therapist to work as a team. My first experience with a child with SI dysfunction was last school year. His Mother was open and receptive and that was a huge factor in this child's progress. I was amazed at his development due to Mom keeping him with an OT over the summer. He went from almost no language to making eye contact and having complete conversations. I have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with this child and every time I see him, I tell him just how proud I am of him! I highly recommend the companion book The Out-of-Sync Child Had Fun. This book is filled with wonderful activities for SI children as well as all children. I am looking forward to including them into our curriculum next year.
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Summary: Light in the darkness
Review: A child with sensory integration disorder spends most of his life uncomfortable in his own skin. The Out-of-Sync Child is an excellent resource for parents whose children suffer from this crippling neurological condition, and demonstrates the devastation that can come from having "the volume control" on one or more of the senses (including the sense that allows the average blindfolded person to eat with a fork without impaling his own cheek) set too high or too low. My own 29-month-old has been seen by child psychiatrists, speech therapists, audiologists and occupational therapists. The growing consensus is that he suffers from this debilitating -- but manageable -- condition. The Out-of-Sync Child has helped us not only understand our son better, but also to understand the evaluation process better. Why does the evaluator care that my son wakes up frequently in the night? What does it mean that he loves bear hugs but lashes out at a gentle touch? I have only one quarrel with this book, and perhaps I am asking too much of the authors: The hardest thing about having a child with sensory integration disorder -- and there are many hard things about having a child with sensory integration disorder -- is that you can't explain the disorder to onlookers in a five-sentence paragraph. Because of that, it is easy to decide that the disorder does not exist."Dag-blammit," people say, "in my day you made children sit still in school and if a child didn't sit still, it was because the parents were poor disciplinarians, and if he can't wear a polyester shirt, it's because he's spoiled." Why is my 2.5-year-old wearing a leash? Why is he such a handful that we cannot entrust him to anyone but us, his parents? Why would he die of dehydration before he would drink anything but milk out of anything but a bottle? We cannot explain sensory integration disorder in a sound-bite, but at least, thanks to this book, we have understanding of our son's multifaceted, complicated disorder, and we are delighted to find in the book some immediate solutions for helping him -- and us -- cope. The treatment of choice for S.I. Disorder is occupational therapy, and many treatments must be carried on at home. We have applied many of the suggestions in the book and have seen improvement in our child over a matter of days. And for parents just beginning the odyssey with their child, this book can help understand the evaluation process even if their child turns out to be suffering from some other disorder. A must-read.
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