sensory integration, therapeutic listening

PROGRAMS

Our Handwriting Program
Handwriting Without Tears™
The developmentally based, flexible, and engaging Handwriting Without Tears™ program is an easy
and effective way for children to develop good handwriting skills. It has been used successfully by
more than 10 million children. Combine that with enthusiastic therapists with extensive knowledge
in all aspects of handwriting, and you have a winning combination.

Handwriting Without Tears™ uses fun, entertaining, and educationally sound instructional methods
to teach handwriting to all students: pre-k through cursive. The intuitive workbooks, engaging hands-
on materials, and lively music inspire active learning. Handwriting Without Tears™ is a proven
success in making legible and fluent handwriting an easy and automatic skill for all students.

Therapy Tree is pleased to provide the Handwriting Without Tears™ program in groups or as part
of our Occupational Therapy individual sessions. Groups are run by our occupational therapy staff
and typically include 2-5 students. Children are placed in our groups as determined by age and
writing level. Groups are available for children with special needs as well as typical children.
www.hwtears.com

What is Sensory Integration?
Sensory integration has become a common word to describe what is actually three things:

Sensory integration is a normal process that develops in all people. It is the ability to take in
sensory information from our environment and our own bodies, organize that information in the
nervous system, and use that information to interact in and learn from our environment.

Sensory integration dysfunction is the disorder that occurs when that normal process of sensory
integration is inefficient. Many people with sensory integration dysfunction have difficulties in
learning and behavior. Sensory integration dysfunction (DSI) can manifest in several different ways.

Sensory integration treatment is a treatment approach designed to use enhanced sensory intake to
facilitate the normal process of sensory integration. Most therapists who are trained in providing
sensory integration are occupational therapists but some are physical therapists and speech
therapists. Sensory integration treatment is part of a therapist’s skills and there are no "sensory
integration therapists" that are not previously trained and licensed in their respective disciplines.

Therapeutic Listening
Therapeutic Listening (TL) is an expansion of Sensory Integration. It is an auditory intervention
that uses the organized sound patterns inherent in music to impact all levels of the nervous
system. Auditory information from Therapeutic Listening CDs provides direct input to both the
vestibular and auditory portions of the vestibulo-proprioceptive, core development, and breath
activities so as to sustain grounding and centering of the body and mind in space and time. Providing
these postural, movement, and respiratory activities as part of the TL program is critical.

Therapeutic Listening utilizes numerous CDs that vary in musical style, types of filtering, and level
of complexity. The music on Therapeutic Listening CDs is electronically altered to elicit the
orienting response which sets up the body for sustained attention and active listening.
www.vitallinks.net www.sensory-processing-disorder.com