A CRITIQUE OF THE APPLICATION OF SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY TO CHILDREN WITH LEARNING-DISABILITIES

Sensory integration (SI) therapy is a controversial-though popular-tre atment for the remediation of motor and academic problems. It has been applied primarily to children with learning disabilities, under the a ssumption that such children (or at least a subgroup of them) have pro blems in sensory integration to which some or all of their learning di fficulties can be ascribed. The present article critically examines th e related issues of whether children with learning disabilities differ entially exhibit concomitant problems in sensory integration, and whet her such children are helped in any way by means specific to SI therap y. An overview of theoretical contentions and empirical findings perta ining to the first issue is presented, followed by a detailed review o f recent studies in the SI therapy research literature, in an effort t o resolve the second issue. Results of this critique raise serious dou bts as to the validity or utility of SI therapy as an appropriate, ind icated treatment for the clinical population in question-and, by exten sion, for any other groups diagnosed as having ''sensory integrative d ysfunction.'' It is concluded that the current fund of research findin gs may well be sufficient to declare SI therapy not merely an unproven , but a demonstrably ineffective, primary or adjunctive remedial treat ment for learning disabilities and other disorders.