Marion Wilm

The great majority of all child development in the first few years of life involves sensory input and movement within the child's body.  Each sense works with the others to form a composite picture of who we are physically, where we are, and what is going on around us.  Sensory Integration is the critical function of the brain that is responsible for producing this composite picture.  A child develops sensory integration by interacting with his environment and responding to it.  This occurs in the course of ordinary childhood activities. 

Play offers the child a great way to engage with others while providing them with the stimulation they require to learn and practice new skills and behaviors.  Very specific neurological development occurs when a child is stimulated through touch, movement, sights, and sounds.  Playing with children can create more integrated children who are better able to handle stress and change and contributes to a strong bond between parents and children. 

As an occupational therapist in Charlotte I am seeing more and more children whose early experiences do not support sensory integration.  Learning problems at school, hyperactivity, over-aggressiveness, or lack of physical coordination are some of the ways that children deal with an inability to integrate what they see, hear, feel, smell, and taste.  While play will not "fix" these problems in a child, it will provide a stronger foundation for developing skills and self-esteem needed later in life. 

I want to encourage parents to engage in spontaneous play with their children.   Let go of yourself when playing with your child.  Children adore the silly, fun-loving side of parents and you might find that your own stress level decreases at the same time.  Try messy activities, have a water fight outdoors, dance together, sing silly songs, teach them some of the games you played as a child, jump rope, try a hula hoop, play board games.

Then if your child does not enjoy these play activities, does not follow directions well, avoids movement or messy activities, or has poor coordination; you might want to have your child evaluated by a pediatric specialist in occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech therapy.  We can help.