Neural Foundations of Ayres Sensory Integration®

Shelly J Lane; Zoe Mailloux; Sarah Schoen; Anita Bundy; Teresa A May-Benson; L Diane Parham; Susanne Smith Roley; Roseann C Schaaf

doi:10.3390/brainsci9070153

Neural Foundations of Ayres Sensory Integration^®

Brain Sci. 2019 Jun 28;9(7):153. doi: 10.3390/brainsci9070153.

Authors

Shelly J Lane^{1

2}, Zoe Mailloux³, Sarah Schoen⁴, Anita Bundy⁵, Teresa A May-Benson⁶, L Diane Parham⁷, Susanne Smith Roley⁸, Roseann C Schaaf³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. shelly.lane@colostate.edu.
² Discipline of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales 2300, Australia. shelly.lane@colostate.edu.
³ Department of Occupational Therapy and Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
⁴ STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, USA.
⁵ Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
⁶ The Spiral Foundation, Newton, MA 02458, USA.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, Occupational Therapy Graduate Program, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 871321, USA.
⁸ Collaborative Leadership in Ayres Sensory Integration, Redondo Beach, CA 90277, USA.

Abstract

Sensory integration, now trademarked as Ayres Sensory Integration^® or ASI, is based on principles of neuroscience and provides a framework for understanding the contributions of the sensory and motor foundations of human behavior. The theory and practice of ASI continues to evolve as greater understanding of the neurobiology of human behavior emerges. In this paper we examine core constructs of ASI identified in the seminal work of Dr. Jean Ayres, and present current neuroscience research that underlies the main patterns of sensory integration function and dysfunction. We consider how current research verifies and clarifies Ayres' propositions by describing functions of the vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile sensory systems, and exploring their relationships to ocular, postural, bilateral integration, praxis, and sensory modulation. We close by proposing neuroplasticity as the mechanisms underlying change as a result of ASI intervention.

Keywords: dyspraxia; neuroscience; sensory integration; sensory modulation; sensory perception; sensory processing; sensory reactivity; sensory registration.