Starting from infancy, we learn about the world around us and how to move our bodies, through our senses (mouthing items, rolling, crawling, pulling up, looking around and much more). This sensory exploration period tells us how our bodies move, feel, where they are in space, hear, and see, and eventually we are able to move our bodies in more complex ways, also known as gross motor and fine motor.

Our sensory system is not only responsible for how we move and use our bodies in space, but also how we regulate emotions, manage sensations, behaviors and cognition (including ability to follow directions, attend, and engage) and our language. The foundation for development of all of these complex systems, is our ability to correctly process sensory information.

Mastery and development of fine motor, gross motor and visual motor skills are paramount for independence in our daily living activities. Development in these areas not only help us with tasks such as reading, writing, playing, dressing, feeding, grooming, and moving through space, but also provide us with a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.

We all feel emotions as human beings and some emotions are more difficult to manage than others. Our emotions, behaviors and sensory system are all closely tied together, and it is important to understand how in many situations these influence each other.

Our executive function and social skills are fundamental for engaging with the world around us. This includes critical thinking, decision making, memory, adaptability, being apart of a team, making friends, interpreting social cues, play, and overall social cognition.

Our ADL (Activities of Daily Living) and IADLs (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) are activities that we need or want to do. ADL’s often develop at a very young age and include areas such as self care, dressing, hygiene, grooming, self-help, feeding, and toileting. IADL’s are more complex and include areas such as leisure activities, meal preparation, reading, writing, and household chores.