This classic handbook, from the originator of sensory integration theory, is now available in an updated, parent-friendly edition. Retaining all the features that made the original edition so popular with both parents and professionals,
Sensory Integration and the Child remains the best book on the subject. With a new foreword by Dr. Florence Clark and commentaries by recognized experts in sensory integration, this volume explains sensory integration dysfunction, how to recognize it, and what to do about it. Helpful tips, checklists, question-and-answer sections, and parent resources make the new edition more informative and useful. Indispensable reading for parents, this book is also an excellent way to improve communication between therapists, parents, and teachers.
The original edition was the first book to explicate sensory integration dysfunction, and this edition offers new insights and helpful updates in an easy-to-use format.
Dr. A. Jean Ayres began to develop sensory integration theory, as well as the evaluation procedures and intervention strategies that were associated with this framework, in the 1950s. When
Sensory Integration and the Child was first published in the late 1970s, many aspects of her work were becoming more widely known. Although she was a dedicated researcher and educator, Dr. Ayres was foremost a therapist who worked tirelessly to help the children and families who came to her therapy clinic. Over and over again, she listened to the frustration parents expressed at not understanding their children's behavior, often followed by relief at having those problems named and explained, and hope when a plan for intervention was offered. Dr. Ayres wrote this book in order to bring a similar sense of relief and hope to families beyond those who were able to come to her clinic. Because she recognized that parents commonly went first to doctors, therapists, and teachers for help with the developmental or educational concerns they had about their children, she also wrote this book to help those professionals to assist families as well.
Since its first printing, Sensory Integration and the Child has sold thousands of copies and has been translated into six languages. Educators, researchers, and clinicians who continue to develop and apply sensory integration theory have found this book to be an essential tool in communicating the basic concepts of this approach. Parents have also continued to praise this book for the way it has changed the course of their children's lives.
Although Sensory Integration and the Child has continued to be vital and relevant, its format has been overwhelming to some parents. In order to make the information more accessible to families, a group of individuals long associated with Dr. Ayres and her work have put together this new edition. The core content has been preserved, with some of the more technical sections moved to the appendixes for further reference. Photographs, checklists, parent tips, cases, key quotes, and illustrations have been added within a new, easier to read layout.
It is our hope that this 25th Anniversary Edition of Sensory Integration and the Child will preserve the brilliant insights and practical solutions Dr. Ayres offered in the original edition, while also making the information available to a wider range of families.
