Books on Sensory Integration

Sensory integration problems can be a factor in many of the behaviors seen in kids with PDD, from hand flapping to perseveration to refusal of eye contact. Building Bridges focuses on the implications of SI for those on the autism spectrum, while providing an overview of sensory dysfunction that will be useful to any parent. 5 Stars

Whether you're trying to augment therapy or compensate for the fact that your child's not good at "normal" kid games, this book is full of ideas for play activities that are SAFE -- Sensory-motor, Appropriate, Fun and Easy -- and tailored to particular sensory needs. Some require a fair degree of imagination, but don't panic: You can also just sit your kid atop the clothes dryer and call it therapy. 5 Stars

It's like being in the best support group ever -- led by an occupational therapist who has all kinds of time to sit with you and strategize all those sticky sensory situations, and populated by parents who've been there, done that, and are happy to share (as the authors did when I asked about SI and head lice.) 5 Stars

The Out-of-Sync Child was published when "sensory integration" was first being whispered about in parent support groups as an explanation for a grab-bag of confusing behaviors. DSI is now much more accepted as a diagnosis than it was then, and this book is revered as an essential parent resource. 4.5 Stars

This introductory booklet doesn't offer the last word on the Alert Program (there's a leader's guide for that), but it does give parents a good overview and enough information to think about trying the program at home with their children -- and about what makes their own engines run, too. 4 Stars

If you've tried all sorts of weights and brushes and games and exercises and equipment to calm or stimulate your child with sensory integration dysfunction, here's something new to add to the list: yoga. In clear how-to text and helpful photos, occupational therapist Cuomo shows you how to do some basic yoga poses, tailor them to your child's age and sensory needs, and expand them into related enrichment projects. Give it a try, and you may find that the calming and centering rubs off on you, too. 4 Stars

The effort to clarify, quantify, and classify sensory integration theory takes a big leap forward with Sensational Kids, the first effort to bring the new name and structure that occupational therapists have been developing for sensory problems to an audience of parents. And since "sensory integration" is something that doctors and scientists consider to happen on a cellular level, Miller advocates for calling the behavioral symptoms Sensory Processing Disorder. 4 Stars

If you've read other books on sensory integration and were left wondering about the real nitty-gritty neurology of it all, you're probably ready to read Sensory Integration and the Child. The 22nd-century redesign surely makes it easier to do that -- but that's not to be confused with the material actually being easy. 4 Stars

I don't know that these are really the top 250 questions parents ask, or whether this all-question format really does service to the material. But Delaney's answers are pretty terrific, clear and understandable and genuinely useful. Because the format scatters the information about, I wouldn't recommend this as your first book on SPD, but if you already know some and want to learn more, it will probably answer questions you have, whether they're among the ones officially asked or not. 4 Stars

Author Nancy Mucklow, the parent of a pre-teen with sensory issues, couldn't find any sensory-integration resources appropriate for that age group, so she went ahead and wrote one herself. It's an upbeat, friendly guide to helping the senses work together as a team, and strengthening weaker players. 4 Stars