No description available.

Cross modality matching is a magnitude matching procedure, developed to study the relationships between sensory modalities. Auditory and visual sensory integration can be examined through cross modality matching of brightness and loudness. Brightness and loudness are natural correlates of one another as they both represent the parameter of intensity for their respective sensory modalities. Past studies have demonstrated that typical individuals tend to match brighter lights with louder sounds and dimmer lights with softer sounds. The current study utilized a modified cross modality matching procedure, combined with electroencephalography (EEG) data, to examine the cortical response to sensory integration. It was hypothesized that the response latency and cortical distribution of the EEG data would show differences between matched and unmatched conditions of light and sound stimuli. Light and sound stimuli were presented to 10 participants (five males and five females between the ages of 18 and 28 years) in a forced choice paradigm. The behavioral responses, reaction times, and EEG data were recorded for each patient. Results demonstrated that there were significant differences in behavioral reaction time among the stimulus conditions. However, reaction times were only significantly faster for the loudest sound paired with the brightest light. No other pairs of matched stimuli resulted in faster reaction times. Event related potentials (ERPs) were identified for matched and unmatched stimulus conditions. No differences were identified in latency of the ERPs among conditions. Additionally, source localization revealed that dipole locations for each stimulus condition remained relatively constant in the prefrontal cortex. As the prefrontal cortex has been found to be associated with decision-making and sensory integration, it can be concluded that sensory integration did occur. However, the processing of sensory information did not change for matched or unmatched conditions of light and sound.

No description available.

This study describes three case studies with three children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, the focus of the dissertation being the sensory processing issues that these children experience, the limited intervention regarding this subject, and the possible emotional connotations that may accompany these difficulties. In the study, three children partook in six Gestalt Play Therapy sessions, where sensory stimulants were utilised as a medium of expression. The data was analysed, with the emphasis on the children's responses to the sensory work and the emotions that could be linked to this experience. A detailed description of the sessions is provided. It was found that these children were able to make use of the Gestalt Play Therapy setting, along with the sensory work, as a means of emotional expression. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Thesis (MOccTher (Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Occupational Therapy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: AGTERGROND Dit is bekend dat vroeggebore babas met ʼn baie lae geboortemassa ʼn hoër insidensie van ontwikkelings-, gedrags- en mediese agterstande en verskeie leerprobleme toon teen die tyd dat hulle skoolgaande ouderdom bereik. Kommer bestaan ook oor die omgewingseffek van die neonatale intensiewe sorgeenheid op die sensoriese ontwikkeling van die vroeggebore baba en hoe dit tot bogenoemde agterstande kan bydra. Daar is verskillende benaderings wat daarop aanspraak maak dat hulle die probleem kan oplos, met kangaroemoedersorg (‘kangaroo mother care’) en ontwikkelingsorg (‘developmental care’) wat in die literatuur uitgesonder is as besonders belowend. Met die aanvang van hierdie studie was daar nog geen empiriese studies in die literatuur gerapporteer wat enige aansprake van hierdie benaderings bevestig het nie. Daar was dus ʼn behoefte vir ʼn empiries-nagevorsde program wat prakties in die neonatale intensiewe eenheid toegepas kon word met die oog op die vermindering van omgewingstressors ten opsigte van die vroeggebore baba se sensoriese sisteme. DOEL Die doel met die studie was om die invloed te bepaal van ʼn Sensoriese Ontwikkelingsorgprogram (‘Sensory Developmental Care Programme’), wat ʼn spesifieke kangaroemoedersorg- protokol insluit, op die sensoriese ontwikkeling van die vroeggebore baba met 'ʼn baie lae geboortemassa tot en met die ouderdom van 18 maande (gekorrigeerde ouderdom). METODOLOGIE ʼn Ewekansig-gekontroleerde studie is uitgevoer. Die studiesteekproef het bestaan uit 89 vroeggebore babas met ʼn baie lae geboortemassa wat in ʼn periode van 24 maande toegelaat is tot die neonatale eenheid van Tygerberg Hospitaal in Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika. Die babas is gewerf op grond van sekere kriteria en is dan daarna ewekansig aan een van twee groepe toegeken: 1) die intervensiegroep het sorg ontvang volgens die Sensoriese Ontwikkelingsorgprogram vir 10 dae; en 2) die kontrolegroep het ook vir 10 dae die standaardsorg van die eenheid ontvang. Die intervensiegroep het uit 45 babas bestaan, van wie 22 die studie voltooi het, terwyl die kontrolegroep uit 44 babas bestaan het van wie 20 die studie voltooi het. Beide studiegroepe is opgevolg op 6, 12 en 18 maande (gekorrigeerde ouderdom), by welke geleentheid die Sensoriese Funksietoets vir Babas (‘Test of Sensory Functions in Infants’) telkens toegepas is vir die assessering van sensoriese ontwikkeling. Op 18 maande (gekorrigeerde ouderdom) is ʼn assessering met die Griffiths Ontwikkelingskaal ook gedoen om funksies in die ander ontwikkelingsareas van die babas te bepaal. Toetsresultate is geanaliseer met behulp van herhaalde ANOVAmetings en die Bonferoni t-prosedure om die effek van die Sensoriese Ontwikkelingsorgprogram op die sensoriese ontwikkeling van die babas tot en met 18 maande (gekorrigeerde ouderdom) te bepaal. RESULTATE Die resultate van die vergelyking van die prestasie van beide groepe (groep-effek), gemeet met behulp van die Sensoriese Funksietoets vir Babas, is van groot belang vir hierdie studie. Die intervensiegroep het betekenisvol verskil op die totale telling (p<0.00), sowel as op die volgende vier van die vyf subtoets-tellings: respons op diepdruk (‘tactile deep pressure’) (p<0.03); motoriese aanpassingsreaksies (p<0.03); visuele tas-integrasie (p<0.00); en respons op vestibulêre stimulasie (p<0.01). GEVOLGTREKKING Die resultate van die studie dui aan dat die babas in die intervensiegroep baat gevind het by die Sensoriese Ontwikkelingsorgprogram met betrekking tot hul sensoriese funksies tot en met die ouderdom van 18 maande (gekorrigeerde ouderdom). Die Sensoriese Ontwikkelingsorgprogram het geblyk prakties sowel as suksesvol te wees met betrekking tot sy doel. Die Program sou daarom met vrug in ander neonatale intensiewe sorgeenhede aangewend kon word. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND Premature infants of very low birth weight are known to be inclined to developmental, medical, behavioural and various learning deficiencies by the time they reach schoolgoing age. Concerns have been raised about the effect of the neonatal intensive care unit environment on the sensory development of the premature infant and how this could contribute to these deficiencies. Various approaches claim to address this problem, of which kangaroo mother care and developmental care have in the literature been singled out as particularly promising. However, at the commencement of this study no empirical studies had been reported in the literature to confirm any of the claims of these approaches. Therefore, a need existed for an empirically researched programme that could be practically applied in the neonatal intensive care unit with a view to reducing environmental stressors regarding the sensory systems of the premature infant. AIM The aim of this study was to determine the influence of a Sensory Developmental Care Programme, which incorporated a specific kangaroo mother care protocol, on the sensory development of the very low birth weight premature infant, up to the age of 18 months (corrected age). METHODOLOGY A randomised controlled study was conducted. The study sample consisted of 89 very low birth weight premature infants, admitted during a 24-month period to the neonatal care unit at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The infants were recruited by means of certain criteria and then randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) the intervention group was cared for according to the Sensory Developmental Care Programme for ten recorded days; and 2) the control group that received the standard care of the unit, also for ten days. The intervention group consisted of 45 infants of whom 22 completed the study, while the control group consisted of 44 infants of whom 20 completed the study. Both study groups were followed up at six, 12 and 18 months (corrected age) when the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants was used to do a sensory developmental assessment. At 18 months (corrected age) a Griffiths Developmental Scale assessment was also conducted to determine function in other areas of development. Test results were analysed using repeated measures of ANOVA, and the Bonferoni t procedure to determine the effect that the Sensory Developmental Care Programme had on the sensory development of the infant up to 18 months (corrected age). RESULTS The results of the comparison of the performance of both groups (group effect), measured by the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants are of great importance to this study. The intervention group had a significant difference on the total score (p<0.00), as well as on the following four of the five sub-tests scores: reactivity to tactile deep pressure (p<0.03); adaptive motor functions (p<0.03); visual-tactile integration (p<0.00); and reactivity to vestibular stimulation (p<0.01). CONCLUSION The results of this study signify that the infants in the intervention group benefited from the Sensory Developmental Care Programme concerning their sensory functions up to the age of 18 months (corrected age). The Sensory Developmental Care Programme was demonstrated to be both practical and successful in terms of its aims. The Programme could therefore be fruitfully utilised in other neonatal intensive care units.

In its theoretical part, the thesis "Postural Function at Early Age and Final Condition of Motor Functions at Preschool Age" summarizes the knowledge of motor abilities and skills, postural control and development, control and development of rough and fine motorics. At the same time, the theoretical part resumes briefly characteristic features of developmental coordination disorders, way of their diagnostics and possible treatment. Furthermore, it presents the most common tests used for motorics assessment and its disorders. Practical part focuses on comparison of results according to developmental kinesiology as an investigation method and MABC-2 test. There have not been found any statistically important relations between the results of the developmental kinesiology test as an investigation method performed in the first and fifth week and in the third month of postnatal development and the results of MABC-2 test performed in the same children at school age. Likewise, there seem to be no statistically important relation between the results of MABC-2 test in children playing sports and those not playing any sport, neither in the results of MABC-2 test in children of sporting parents and non- sporting parents. Key words: Postural function, developmental kinesiology, motor abilities, motor skills,...

This diploma thesis deals with the problematics of sensory processing with premature children. The aim of the thesis is to show the important role of an occupational therapist taking care of infants with perinatal risks already at NICU. Another aim of the thesis is to create an unofficial Czech translation of the standardized Toddler Sensory Profile 2 Test and use it to evaluate the quality of sensory processing with premature children and compare the results with those of children born in term. In the theoretical part, the classification of new- borns is described for better understanding and orientation, together with the risks premature birth brings and the role of an occupational therapist taking care of such children. In the thesis, the approach of Sensory Integration and a classification of Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD) are described. At the end of the theoretical part, the Sensory Profile 2 Test is further described, especially its part dedicated to toddlers (TSP2). The practical part is made of a quantitative research. In the research, the total number of 70 two-year-old toddlers were assessed using TSP2, out of which 44 were born premature and 26 in term. The group of premature toddlers was further divided into 15 late preterm, 17 very preterm and 17 extreme preterm children. The...

Les troubles praxiques font partie des critères d’inclusion decertaines pathologies neurodégénératives et sont de nature à réduirel'autonomie de ces patients. Pourtant, les rares travaux dans cedomaine prennent rarement en compte les spécificités liées auxpathologies dégénératives (e.g., évolution, lésions diffuses,phénotypes différents), sans compter qu’il n’existe pas de consensusthéorique sur l’apraxie. Les troubles d'utilisation des outils ontlongtemps été expliqués par la perte de représentations stockées (e.g.,connaissances sur les objets ou les gestes) mais des modèles récentssuggèrent de distinguer l’utilisation proprement dite de l’usagecommunément admis. De même, l’apraxie est fréquemment mise enrapport avec la perte d’une représentation du corps mais une mise enperspective historique de la littérature permet de constater qu'il s'agitd'un postulat tout à fait récent. La présente thèse émet une propositionalternative en opposant à la notion de représentation corporelle desprocessus plus dynamiques et neurologiquement ancrés tels quel’intégration sensorielle. Au plan théorique, la présente thèse proposeainsi une mise en perspective historique et une revue critique de lalittérature, ainsi qu’une réflexion épistémologique opposant savoir etraisonnement, permettant de distinguer des troubles spécifiques dugeste et des répercussions "dans le geste" d'autres niveaux deperturbations. Au plan clinique, ce travail de neuropsychologieclinique et expérimentale examine ces différents niveaux dans uneperspective différentielle et montre que les dissociations envisagéessont cliniquement opérantes. / Apraxia is a diagnostic criterion for neurodegenerativediseases and can reduce autonomy in these patients. Yet, the fewstudies that have been done in this domain rarely take into accountspecificities of dementia (e.g., evolution, diffuse lesions, differentphenotypes) and there is no theoretical consensus on apraxia. Tooluse disorders are mainly explained by the loss of stored knowledge(e.g., about tools or gestures) but recent models suggest to distinguishthe actual use of tools from common usage. Likewise, apraxiai sfrequently linked with the loss of body representations but a historicalperspective of the literature demonstrates that it is a relatively recentassumption. The present doctoral thesis submits an alternativeproposal by opposing body representation and more dynamic andneurological processes, that is, sensory integration. Thus, at thetheoretical level this work proposes a historical perspective and acritical review of existing literature, as well as an epistemologicalreflection that contrasts knowledge and reasoning, and that makes adistinction between specific gesture disorders and consequences ofother cognitive impairments on gesture production. At a clinical level,this neuropsychological research examines these different levels ofimpairments in patients through a differential approach. Results showthat the aforementioned theoretical considerations are clinicallyvalidated.

No description available.

Uppsatsen är en litteraturstudie som syftar till att definiera begreppet dyspraxi och kartlägga de faktorer som ger upphov till dyspraktiska svårigheter. I arbetet framgår hur svårigheterna manifesteras i individens vardag samt hur man på bästa sätt kan möta och stödja individer med dyspraxi. Det som framkommit av vår studie är att dyspraxibegreppet är ett mångfacetterat begrepp med olika definitioner beroende på i vilket land man befinner sig. Det är i hjärnan och nervsystemet man kan finna de bakomliggande faktorer som ger upphov till svårigheter i främst tre specifika områden nämligen: perception, motorik och sensorisk integrering. Det har visat sig att det neuropedagogiska synsättet är ett ypperligt sätt att se på individens svårigheter men även att lyfta fram individens starka sidor och potentiella utvecklingsmöjligheter. Det neoropedagogiska förhållningssätt är brett och inkluderar flera olika sätt att tänka på, närma sig, se på utveckling och lärandet. Vi har funnit flera olika tips på övningar som kan utveckla individer med dyspraxi i olika avseenden som han/hon kanske inte fullt ut behärskar. För oss har det neuropedagogiska förhållningssättet blivit en självklar del i vårt arbete.