Sensory Integration Treatment for Children with Learning Disabilities: Its Status 20 Years Later

Abstract

Ayres' seminal paper in 1972 reported that Sensory Integration (SI) Treatment was a promising method for improving the academic scores of children with learning disabilities. Ottenbacher's (1982a) review of research reported during that first decade indicated that SI treatment was worthy of further investigation. In this report, we reviewed randomized, controlled trials conducted primarily in the second decade, and conclude that the status of the literature 20 years after Ayres' original article does not support SI treatment as an effective treatment for the academic problems of learning disabled children. With respect to sensory or motor variables, it is not clear whether or not SI treatment is more effective than perceptual-motor approaches. Future research also must determine whether SI treatment is more effective than maturation alone.