Speech delay/sensory integration

My 2 1/2 year old son has been diagnosed with severe speech delay and has been in speech therapy twice a week for 9 months.  He is doing great with sign language, but is absolutely not talking.  He babbles and uses jargon and looks at us when he speaks, but no legible words come out.  Today at speech therapy, he gagged when the therapist touched his chin wearing rubber gloves.  He has always been very "gaggy" often gagging with certains smells, sights, sounds, or even by touching play-doh when he was 12 months old.  His speech therapist suggested sensory integration, but his pediatrician and a child psychologist say that this area is highly controversial, and both doctors say they don't believe that it works very well.  The psychologist even suggested I could help him myself at home by exposing him to play-doh, feather tickling, etc.  My question is this... Is there any evidence or are there any studies that show a coorelation between speech delay and sensory integration problems?  Could the sensory problems be causing the speech delay, or vice-versa?  He tests above average or at age appropriate skills in every other area, showing no problem with receptive speech/understanding.  Please help!!

Shannon F. in Florida

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

It is not unusual for children to display delays in areas of development alongside sensory integration problems. This is because various areas of neurointegative behavior are closely associated. Occupational therapists diagnose and treat sensory integration disorders. We see many benefits from appropriate intervention, and I don't happen to agree that it is a controversial area. When people display sensory integration problems, and those problems are diagnosed accurately by a qualified occupational therapist, treatment can yield obvious benefits.

[Faith O.]

My sister's niece had a problem with sensory integration, and when she was three, they used this special brush on her. They would brush her, and it would calm her down. Eventually, they overcame the problem. She had a hard time touching things, or with people touching her. I have a one year old daughter with spastic quad cp, and we tried brushing her, and it didn't work, she had problems with tone though, not sensory integration, however, her speech therapist's son also had the sensory integration problem and she said that they used the brush on him as well, and it worked. Your child may have problems with GERD, gastro esphageol reflux disorder, that may be triggered by smells as well. Good Luck.

[BuddleiaGirl]

My daughter sees an OT for sensory integration. The best way to describe it is that sometimes the wires get crossed, so touch can make them gag, and so on. The OT does different things to help regulate the childs senses. It works. They will always have this, but you, and later the child, will learn how to work with it, what helps, what makes it worse.

[pesty6]

A related discussion, What are the cons of sensory integration? was started.