Virginia Spielman, MSOT, Director of the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing, explains what sensory processing and integration are and how our understanding of their integral role in development has shifted. She outlines theoretical model types and describes the importance of sensory health and understanding in autistic lived experiences across a lifetime. She concludes by providing recommendations for intervention and alternatives to the classic linear model of the autism spectrum.
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In this presentation
Presentation summary
- Functional models (14:25) focus on the integration of senses to produce end results (15:45) i.e. concentration, self-control, and self-confidence, adaptive responses, etc.
- Dysfunctional models (27:45) focus on the responsivity of sensory systems and categorize that responsivity into disorders, i.e. Sensory-Based Motor Disorder (33:35), Sensory Discrimination Disorder (32:35), and Sensory Modulation Disorder (30:45).
About the speaker:
Virginia Spielmann, MSOT is a well-travelled speaker, coach and educator on topics including sensory integration, DIR/Floortime, child development and infant mental health. She has conducted trainings in Kenya, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and the USA and leads workshops at international conferences. Virginia is a founder and former Clinical Director of SPOT (Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy) Interdisciplinary Children’s Therapy Center in Hong Kong, where she led a large and widely respected inter-disciplinary team. Virginia is the Executive Director of STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder in Greenwood Village Colorado. STAR is a global leader in education, treatment and research for sensory processing through the lifespan.
Virginia obtained her BSc in Occupational Therapy in Oxford England (2002) and her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Mount Mary University, Milwaukee (2018). She is a DIR/Floortime Training Leader and Expert and clinical consultant for the Interdisciplinary Council for Development and Learning (ICDL). Her extensive pediatric experience includes children on the autism spectrum, as well as those with Sensory Processing Disorder, infant mental health issues, children from adopted families and those who have experienced developmental trauma.
Virginia has considerable post-graduate training, she is certified on the SIPT and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Infant and Early Childhood Development with an emphasis on mental health, with Fielding Graduate University, in Santa Barbara.
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