Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
09:13
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Patterns Recognized in Ayres Sensory Integration®: A Scoping Review
Marica Botha1, Janine van der Linde1, Zoe Mailloux2,3
1Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2191, South Africa.
Brain Sciences
|July 28, 2026
Summary
This review synthesizes research on sensory integration patterns, crucial for Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) therapy. Understanding these patterns enhances therapeutic interpretation and intervention effectiveness for children.
Area of Science:
- Occupational therapy
- Neuroscience
- Developmental psychology
Background:
- Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) theory and practice are built upon decades of research linking sensory integration functions to specific patterns.
- Understanding these patterns is vital for therapists to accurately interpret assessment results and deliver effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and discuss published research identifying patterns within the Ayres Sensory Integration® framework.
- To describe and analyze the existing literature on sensory integration patterns.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and the PRISMA-ScR checklist.
- Literature searches encompassed multiple databases with no date restrictions, focusing on children aged 3 to 12 years 11 months and ASI concepts.
- 17 peer-reviewed articles were selected from an initial 998 reviewed articles.
Main Results:
- Data extraction and analysis identified distinct sensory integration patterns.
- The review found variations in these patterns across different time periods, diagnostic groups, and settings.
- Similarities and differences in sensory integration patterns were documented.
Conclusions:
- The ASI approach is grounded in extensive research on assessment tools and the interpretation of sensory integration patterns.
- Sixty years of research underpin the ASI approach, supporting its role as an evidence-based therapeutic intervention.
- This review highlights the continued development and importance of understanding sensory integration patterns in clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
01:11Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
01:15Sensory Modalities
Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
01:29Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
01:31What is a Sensory System?
Sensory systems detect stimuli—such as light and sound waves—and transduce them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the nervous system. In addition to external stimuli detected by the senses, some sensory systems detect internal stimuli—such as the proprioceptors in muscles and tendons that send feedback about limb position.
01:28Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...