Glossary of Terms: Your Quick Dictionary
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
A therapy that focuses on understanding behavior in real-world settings. It uses positive reinforcement (praise, rewards) to build helpful new skills (like communication or social skills) and decrease challenging behaviors.
Early Intervention (EI)
A system of services and therapies for infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) who have a developmental delay. The goal is to provide support during the most critical period of brain development.
Executive Function
The "CEO" or "air traffic controller" of the brain. These are the mental skills that help us plan, organize, start tasks, control impulses, and manage our time.
Gross Motor Skills
The use of the large muscles in the body (arms, legs, torso). We use them for running, jumping, climbing, balancing, and throwing a ball.
Proprioceptive Input (Proprioception)
This is your "body awareness" sense. Receptors in your muscles and joints tell your brain where your body parts are without you having to look. This input (from pushing, pulling, jumping, squeezing) is extremely organizing and calming for the nervous system.
Sensory Diet
A personalized schedule of sensory activities designed by an OT to help a child stay focused and balanced throughout the day.
Sensory Integration
The brain's ability to act like a "traffic cop" for all the information coming in from your senses. When it's working well, the brain filters and organizes the information so you can respond appropriately. When it's not, the "traffic cop" gets overwhelmed, leading to a "traffic jam" (sensory overload).
Vestibular Input
This is your "balance" sense, controlled by your inner ear. It tells your brain where your head is in space and if you're moving, how fast, and in what direction. Swinging and spinning are common ways to get this input.