Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Sensory Interventions for Behavioral Regulation of Children with Trauma: A Reference Guide for Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Sensory Interventions for Behavioral Regulation of Children with Trauma: A Reference Guide for Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Rutherford Otd, Otr/L Madalene

Paperback

General Science

ISBN13: 9798291859537
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 31 2025
Pages: 104
Weight: 0.33
Height: 0.22 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Various disciplines have published conceptual frameworks that advocate for sensory approaches for treatment of individuals with trauma. An interdisciplinary treatment and research team released a comprehensive trauma framework that includes sensory regulation as one of the three pillars to address the brain-body component of behavior regulation (Kinniburgh, Blaustein, Spinazzola, & Van der Kolk, 2005). In 2010, Massachusetts created a state-wide initiative to integrate sensory interventions into holistic trauma treatments (LeBel, Champagne, Stromberg & Coyle, 2010). Psychotherapists have produced a sensorimotor psychotherapy framework to address the somatic self-regulation difficulties that people with trauma experience (Lohrasbe, & Ogden, 2017). The National Institute of Trauma and Loss for Children has released a position paper that encourages trauma providers to extend beyond cognitive-behavioral therapy and talk therapy towards structured sensory interventions for arousal and emotional regulation (Steele & Kuban, 2010). Trauma treatment teams have started seeking professionals who can implement sensory interventions as a bottom-up approach for somatic regulation.

Occupational therapy practitioners specialize in helping people with sensory-processing disorders for self-regulation, as well as treating people who have experienced trauma. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) released a position paper that delineates the role of occupational therapists using sensory approaches with adults with various mental health conditions for motor planning, self-regulation, and skill development (2017, paras. 1-6). Additionally, AOTA has published an infographic that defines occupational therapy's role in childhood trauma, including sensory interventions, at the preventative, intensive, and home-based, school-based, and community-based levels, which includes most pediatric settings (Petrenchik & Weiss, 2015). Moreover, AOTA created a description of early childhood adversity, as well as how it impacts the central nervous system and sensory system(s) (Lynch, Ashcraft, & March Tekell, 2017). Finally, AOTA has shared a trauma decision guide in response to increased family and community trauma during the coronavirus pandemic, which includes risk factors, social determinants of health, and screening and assessment tips (AOTA, 2020, paras. 1-6).

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