Multisensory Integration
For most children, processing what they see, hear, and feel is automatic and does not disrupt their thoughts or behavior. But for some children, this process of combining information from the various senses (sight, touch, and hearing), creates problems. Sensory integration difficulties are often associated with poor social interaction, self-regulation, self-esteem, and attention, leading some to believe that these sensory difficulties underlie developmental and attention disorders such as Autism and ADHD. The goal of this line of research is to determine if children with such disorders have sensory processing difficulties. We use EEG to observe the reaction of a child’s brain while he or she listens to sounds, views images, and touches objects. The information that we collect could be useful to further understand the causes of developmental, sensory, and attention disorders, leading to better therapies to improve the lives of those affected by such disorders.