The late Dr. A. Jean Ayres (1920 -1988) is the
pioneer who, beginning in the 1950s, formulated the theory of sensory integration.
Therapy based upon her theory is now applied worldwide by occupational
therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, psychologists,
and physicians to treat children and adults with learning disabilities
and other manifestations of sensory processing disorders, such as hypersensitivity
to touch, taste, and odors, and fear of heights and movement.
In the midst of her most productive decade of work, the 1970s, Dr. Ayres found time to write letters to her learning-disabled nephew, Philip Erwin, describing why his brain functioned as it did and how he was benefiting from therapy. These letters, as well as Erwin's recollections of what life felt like before, during, and after therapy, are captured in a new book entitled, Love, Jean: Inspiration for Families Living With Dysfunction of Sensory Integration (Crestport Press; $15.95).
Dear Phil,
Now that some of the school pressure is off you and you are feeling better about yourself it may become easier for you to make friends. Remember that there are a lot of other people with the same or similar problems to yours and those people may be having trouble making friends, too. One of the factors that makes for successful friendships among people with problems is being accepting of the other person even with his problems. A lot of allowances need to be made on both sides. There are no doubt a lot of people who feel good about having you accept them just the way they are.
Love, Jean
Just as Ayres found being a pioneer to be a lonely and often frustrating existence, so too did Erwin, who provides unique insights into what it felt like to be an undiagnosed, learning-disabled child.
"Some say that there is no such person as The Invisible Man&I don't agree. If I tried hard enough I was periodically able to become so small, to radiate so little presence in the classroom, that I could become invisible and go home having put off discovery by my adversary, the teacher, for one more day. If any one feeling remains palpable from those years of decline it is the feeling of putting off today the certain, inescapable misery of tomorrow."
The third author of Love, Jean, Zoe Mailloux, was Ayres's longtime research assistant and now a world-renowned expert in dysfunction in sensory integration. She provides insights for parents who are considering or who already have arranged therapy for their children.
While Love, Jean is part history and part family story, it ultimately is a guide for parents of children whose problems may have been misdiagnosed and who finally are turning to sensory integration-based therapy for help. When children with sensory integration issues are properly diagnosed and treated, their sense of their physical presence, their ability to interact with others, and their self-esteem improve. Sensory integration therapy is a gradual process that reveals its effectiveness in subtle and yet significant ways.
Editor's Note: This wonderful
book is available through Cresport Press for just $15.95.
To learn more and to purchase
the book, please click below:
www.crestport.com
To learn more about the Authors,
please click below: http://www.crestport.com/about_lovejean.html
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