Temple Grandin discusses the results of the randomized controlled trials of Sensory Enrichment Therapy
“I just heard about a brand new study that has been done in California by Dr. Woo. They took children aged 4 to 12 that had speech delay and they stayed in their regular program, ABA and whatever regular program [they were] was doing and they got an hour a day of sensory therapy. And it was done as a controlled experiment, where half the kids just got the regular treatment, and the other half got this added sensory treatment.
And they got some really big significant improvements and they made the point of using all very inexpensive things that would be in any house.”
Sensory Enrichment Therapy is an evidence-based, patent-pending treatment that uses sensory experiences to enable the brain to reduce the symptoms of autism.
The treatment involves sensorimotor exercises that stimulate concurrently two or more senses such as olfactory, tactile, visual, balance, motor systems, etc.
Temple Grandin PhD, describes it this way:
Environmental enrichment is an innovative therapy that is easy and simple to do. It may help many children.
Environmental enrichment has three innovative features:
- Always changing the stimulus
- Stimulating two senses simultaneously
- One of the sense is always either smell or touch
About Sensory Enrichment Therapy
Clinical Studies Validate Sensory Enrichment Therapy as an Effective Autism Treatment
Results showed that after 6 months of therapy 42% of the children in the sensory enrichment group achieved clinically significant improvement, compared to only 7% of the children in the standard care group.
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Woo, C., & Leon, M. (2013). Environmental enrichment as an effective treatment for autism: A randomized controlled trial. Behavioral Neuroscience, 487-497.
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Woo, C., Donnelly, J., Steinberg-Epstein, R., & Leon, M. (2015). Environmental enrichment as a therapy for autism: A clinical trial replication and extension. Behavioral Neuroscience, 412-422.
Click here for more information about the clinical trials
Brain Plasticity
The human brain is amazing.
Along with other parts of the body, its ability to grow, heal, and adapt are remarkable. It can rewire itself to adapt to the environment.
Environmental Enrichment
Environmental Enrichment improves brain plasticity and increases brain development.
As brain functions improve, the challenges we face start to decrease.
Sensory Enrichment Therapy
In clinical trials, 42% of the children in the enrichment group achieved clinically significant improvement after 6 months vs. 7% in the standard care group.
The results are:
- A child who initiates more natural conversations
- A child who is more comfortable in his own skin and the world around him
- A child who can learn more confidently
- More calm, more focus, more engagement
- Deeper, less interrupted sleep
- More interest in varied foods
- Easier to cope with change and to transition
Is Sensory Enrichment Therapy a good match for your family?
See how other individuals similar to you progressed on the Mendability Sensory Enrichment program.
Begin the therapy today
