These pathways carry the sensations of :

In order for you to perceive or experience the world around you, you need to have all of these sensory pathways working together. For example, the experience of riding on a roller coaster brings many of the senses together. Your visual picture of your surroundings moving combined with the sounds of people yelling and a feeling of your body being pulled in different directions gives you the overall experience of what it's like to be on roller coaster.

Each of these different senses starts at a nerve receptor that carries information to the brain. The eyes are receptors for sight. The ears are receptors for sound. The nose is a receptor for smell. Taste buds are receptors for taste. You fingertips hold receptors for touch. And your inner ear holds the vestibular system, which is the receptor for balance and motion. As each of these receptors are stimulated, they carry information about the experience into the brain. Since most experiences are multisensory (involving more than one sense), information from different receptors are combined along the pathways travelling into the brain. The "combining of the senses" is called Sensory Integration. Integrated sensory inputs allow for multisensory perception, which gives meaning to experience. Multisensory perception (along with motor development) is also what drives the brain's growth and development.

Sensations may be thought of as "food for the brain", and when they flow in an integrated manner, the brain can use those sensations to form our reality, behavior and learning. Without integration, the sensations cannot be "interpreted" and used.
Sensory experiences are influenced by many factors including; prior sensory experiences, the brain's current state of arousal (Central Integrative State), biochemical imbalances and mood. For example, a song on the car radio perceived as pleasant by one child might be considered irritating or even painful by another. The child's sensory status moderates and is moderated by the child's state of arousal. Arousal is the brain's level of alertness and the ability to maintain and transition between different sleep and waking states.

Sometimes kids can be hypo or hyper sensitive to stimulation. Not only can this make certain experiences uncomfortable, it can also alter a child's arousal level and perception of reality. Such sensory dysfunction may be the underlying reason for such actions as rocking, spinning, and hand-flapping. Long considered to be behaviors that need to be extinguished, these sensory "stims" are a child's attempt to regulate their own state of arousal and experience in general. This is commonly called Sensory Processing Disorder or Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

Sensory processing refers to the brain's ability to take in information through the senses, organize and interpret that information, and create a meaningful response. For most people, this process is automatic. We hear someone talking to us, our brain receives sound input and recognizes it as a voice talking in a normal tone, and we respond appropriately. Most kids with autism have some degree of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and do not experience such interactions in the same way. SPD affects the way their brains interpret the information that comes in; it may also cause them to respond to that information with emotional, motor and other reactions. For example, some children are hyper-reactive to sensation and feel as if they're being constantly bombarded with sensory information. They may try to eliminate or minimize this perceived sensory overload by avoiding being touched, covering their ears or being particular about clothing. Some children are hypo-reactive and have an almost insatiable desire for sensory stimulation. They may seek out constant stimulation by jumping in place, seeking strong hugs, or moving constantly.

The good news is that this can be improved!

The Brain Can Reorganize Itself
Not very long ago, scientists believed that the structure of the brain remained relatively fixed throughout life. It's true that the basic features of the brain - the wrinkled surface of the cortex, the division into two hemispheres and four main lobes - look basically the same in all humans, and these features don't appear to change much as we get older. But if the structure of the brain remains static, how do we account for the changing abilities of a child or even an adult?

One of the most exciting stories in neuroscience in the last decade is the idea of neuroplasticity -the concept that the brain continues to grow, remodel, add new cells and connections and change throughout life. If we look closely enough to examine what's happening at the brain cell level, we see that the brain is in a constant state of reorganization.


SenEX
SenEx and the Sensory Training Program offers a unique way to exercise and train the nervous system with multiple types of sensory stimuli including; light, sound , motion and tactile stimulation; combinations of these stimulus variables, either simultaneously or separately are provided to "exercise the brain."

Using specific sensory training and brain balancing therapies, we may influence the brain to 'rewire' around under connected or undeveloped areas. With the proper input, the connections between the nerve cells strengthen. They are then able to send information more quickly and efficiently and actually reconnect areas that are under connected! This 'rewiring' can re-regulate the way the brain deals with sensory input and handles motor function. Ultimately, this reconnection can drive communication ability, language and other higher brain functions.

** Not only is this the basis of learning but, used properly, can be a way to drive brain development itself.

SenEx Multisensory Training is a passive modality that can be used with children from age two and up. It offers a unique way to exercise and train the nervous system with multiple types of sensory stimuli including; light, sound, motion and tactile stimulation.

This 'brain training' helps strengthen balance, gross and fine motor skills, body and spatial awareness, eye movement, visual tracking, visual fixation, auditory processing skills and midline brainstem integration. The programs vary, but for the most part, sessions are 30 minutes, 3x per week for 3-6 months.