Neurodevelopmental therapy: Sensory integration and vestibular stimulation intervention in mentally retarded children

Abstract

Mental retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. Sensory integration is the brain's organization of sensory input. The degree of sensory integration and postural control dysfunctions in mentally retarded children has great variations. The function of learning depends on the child's ability to make use of environmental sensory information and to integrate this information to perform purposeful behaviors. The use of neurodevelopmental treatment emphasizes the children's active participation in goal-oriented activities. The sensory integration frame of reference is critical to treating deficits in the nervous system before other issues can be addressed. © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009.