Category: closed_qa
Instruction: What are the available treatments for Sensory processing disorder?
Context: Typically offered as part of occupational therapy, ASI that places a child in a room specifically designed to stimulate and challenge all of the senses to elicit functional adaptive responses. Occupational Therapy is defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) as "Occupational therapy practitioners in pediatric settings work with children and their families, caregivers and teachers to promote participation in meaningful activities and occupations". In childhood, these occupations may include play, school and learning self-care tasks. An entry level Occupational Therapist can provide treatment for sensory processing disorder however, more advanced clinical training exists to target the underlying neuro-biological processes involved. 
Sensory integration therapy is driven by four main principles:
Just right challenge (the child must be able to successfully meet the challenges that are presented through playful activities)
Adaptive response (the child adapts their behavior with new and useful strategies in response to the challenges presented)
Active engagement (the child will want to participate because the activities are fun)
Child directed (the child's preferences are used to initiate therapeutic experiences within the session)
Serious questions have been raised as to the effectiveness of this therapy particularly in medical journals where the requirements for a treatment to be effective is much higher and developed than it's occupational therapy counter parts which often advocate the effectiveness of the treatment.


Sensory processing therapy
This therapy retains all of the above-mentioned four principles and adds:
Intensity (person attends therapy daily for a prolonged period of time)
Developmental approach (therapist adapts to the developmental age of the person, against actual age)
Test-retest systematic evaluation (all clients are evaluated before and after)
Process driven vs. activity driven (therapist focuses on the "just right" emotional connection and the process that reinforces the relationship)
Parent education (parent education sessions are scheduled into the therapy process)
"Joie de vivre" (happiness of life is therapy's main goal, attained through social participation, self-regulation, and self-esteem)
Combination of best practice interventions (is often accompanied by integrated listening system therapy, floor time, and electronic media such as Xbox Kinect, Nintendo Wii, Makoto II machine training and others)
While occupational therapists using a sensory integration frame of reference work on increasing a child's ability to adequately process sensory input, other OTs may focus on environmental accommodations that parents and school staff can use to enhance the child's function at home, school, and in the community.These may include selecting soft, tag-free clothing, avoiding fluorescent lighting, and providing ear plugs for "emergency" use (such as for fire drills)
Evaluation of treatment effectiveness
A 2019 review found sensory integration therapy to be effective for autism spectrum disorder.Another study from 2018 backs up the intervention for children with special needs,Additionally, the American Occupational Therapy Association supports the intervention.
In its overall review of the treatment effectiveness literature, Aetna concluded that "The effectiveness of these therapies is unproven",while the American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that "parents should be informed that the amount of research regarding the effectiveness of sensory integration therapy is limited and inconclusive."A 2015 review concluded that SIT techniques exist "outside the bounds of established evidence-based practice" and that SIT is "quite possibly a misuse of limited resources."
Response: The two main treatments available for Sensory processing disorder are Sensory integration therapy and Sensory processing therapy