Sensory Processing and Motor Disorders

When we are very young, we gain the use and coordination of our muscles in our trunk, arms, legs, and hands. We also learn how our senses help us identify the environment we are in through sight, sounds, smell, taste, and hearing. When problems arise in these areas of growth, they may be considered sensory-motor deficits or disorders.

Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic offers a variety of pediatric therapy services that can help your child if he or she is having trouble with sensory-motor skills. Contact our clinic today for more information and to make an appointment to have your child assessed.

What is a sensory-motor disorder?

Sensorimotor skills involve the process of receiving sensory messages (sensory input) and producing a response (motor output.) Our bodies receive sensory information from our environment through our vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems.

Sensory-motor disorders cause difficulties with one (or more than one, in many childhood apraxia es) of the five senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing.

A few examples of tasks a child with sensory-motor issues may struggle with include:

  • Trouble sitting, crawling, and walking
  • Catching a ball, picking up toys
  • Dancing
  • Dressing themselves
  • Difficulty writing
  • Difficulty with understanding, tolerating and participating in your home or school environments

What causes a sensory-motor disorder to develop is not yet known, however, research has stated these conditions could be a result of an environmental, genetic, or intrauterine factor.

Your child may also become upset when faced with certain stimuli such as light, textures, colors, tastes, and sounds. There currently is no cure for sensory-motor disorders, however, with the right kind of attention through pediatric therapy at Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic, your child’s motor issues can be addressed and managed accordingly.

How can pediatric therapy at Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic help?

Here at Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic in Picayune & Wiggins, our pediatric therapists understand and know how to treat a variety of sensory-motor disorders and issues. When you bring your child in for an assessment, our therapists will review his or her medical history, observe their mobility and coordination, as well as how your child handles changes in the environment.   

Our therapists will put together a treatment care plan to ensure your child’s success. Pediatric speech and occupational therapy for sensory-motor disorders often involve playtime to teach them the correct way to hold toys and explore, as well as exercises and training to improve how they walk or run.

Their therapist may incorporate sensory integration therapy into treatment as well, where your child will be evaluated for any “sensory defensiveness” or “sensory cravings.” Our therapists provide your child with experiences to improve and strengthen their motor planning for fine and gross motor skills, oral motor skills, feeding behavior, and sensory processing skills so that they can succeed in multiple life settings.

Contact Our Office Today

If you have noticed your child having difficulty with any of the above-mentioned signs or symptoms that accompany a sensory-motor disorder, do not waste any more time. Call Southern Pediatric Therapy Clinic today for more information regarding the treatment for sensory motor disorders in children. Our therapists are ready and waiting for your call! 

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