This article presents considerations for assessing sensory issues in individuals with autism spectrum disorders as a means of gathering information useful to families and professionals in understanding children and designing intervention strategies that support success across environments. Formal assessment, informal assessment, dynamic…

To examine intra- and interhemispheric communication or the transfer of information within and between the cerebral hemispheres, 32 right-handed learning disabled children aged 8-10 years, 11-13 years, and 14-16 years were presented a tactile discrimination task. Fabrics of the same or different texture were presented to the same hand (uncrossed…

The proceedings of the first national conference on visual literacy held in Rochester, New York (March 23-6, 1969) contain papers describing the concept of visual literacy (defined as vision competencies of integrating and interpreting sensory experiences fundamental to learning and communication). Related research is explored in areas such as…

A study investigated the effectiveness with two individuals with severe mental retardation of Odyssey Now (ON), a multi-sensory program designed for use with people with mental retardation. Increases in interaction and engagement were observed during the ON sessions. Both individuals interacted more with their environment during ON sessions.…

Discusses activities related to the kinesthetic sense, the perception of balance, and the perception of body position in space. (SL)

In a series of four experiments, subjects used scales of loudness, pitch, and brightness to evaluate the meanings of a variety of synesthetic metaphors--expressions in which words or phrases describing experiences proper to one sense modality transfer their meaning to another modality. (Author/PN)

Three experiments assessed the intersensory redundancy hypothesis in early infancy. Findings indicated that habituation to a bimodal rhythm resulted in discrimination of a novel rhythm, whereas habituation to the same rhythm presented unimodally resulted in no evidence of discrimination. Temporal synchrony between the bimodal auditory and visual…

During an out-of-body experience (OBE), the experient seems to be awake and to see his body and the world from a location outside the physical body. A closely related experience is autoscopy (AS), which is characterized by the experience of seeing one's body in extrapersonal space. Yet, despite great public interest and many case studies,…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether children with Asperger Syndrome and children with autism exhibit difference sensory profiles. The Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999), completed on 86 individuals with Asperger Syndrome and 86 persons with autism matched for age, revealed differences in three of 23 areas evaluated: (a) Emotional/Social…

Examines how sensory integration disorders contribute to behavioral difficulties in young children and how considering the neurological underpinnings to behavior problems can help to clarify their origins and lead to obtaining appropriate and effective help. Lists signs of sensory integration disorders. Delineates techniques to use when a child…

In order to determine if significant relationships exist among intersensory transfer ability, intersensory perceptual shifting ability, modal preference, and reading achievement, a study was conducted using 90 randomly selected Oconee County, Georgia, third graders whose mean IQ was 98 and whose mean reading comprehension was grade 3.…

The Autism Behavior Checklist measured autistic symptoms in 15 girls (ages 11-16) with Rett Syndrome (RS) and 14 with severe mental retardation. Girls with RS scored higher on the Sensory and Relating subscales. There were no differences on the Body and Object Use, Language, and Social and Self-Help subscales. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Identifies a function generator as an instrument that produces time-varying electrical signals of frequency, wavelength, and amplitude. Sending these signals to a speaker or a light-emitting diode can demonstrate how specific characteristics of auditory or visual stimuli relate to perceptual experiences. Provides specific instructions for using…

Each hemisphere of the brain has several primary functions that are interesting to explore in terms of all areas of creative endeavor, particularly those involving both speech/language and imagery. Therefore in preparing students to interpret and share the artisitc expression of the poet, the writer, the storyteller, or the dramatist, the teacher…

Parents of 401 infants and toddlers completed the 81-item Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile. Findings suggest that 48 items best characterized sensory processing for children 7-36 months, whereas 36 items appeared relevant for children birth-6 months. Reliability analyses were consistent with clusters identified in Dunn's model of sensory processing…