Spectrum of Functions and Skills

The Spectrum of Functions and Skills is a chart that consists of three areas of brain competency. These areas are sensing, integration, and efficiency. Each column includes a sampling of tasks and abilities related to the specific competency. The bottom of the page lists the primary tools used to address deficits in the three areas of functioning.

In the sensing area we look at smell, taste, touch, seeing, hearing, balance, and etc. The HANDLE program is the primary tool for evaluating the individual's ability to experience, and deal with sensory input. This ability is foundational to all other organized and useful brain activity. Disorganized ability of the nervous system to handle input in one or more areas of sensation can create a series of debilitating symptoms from anxiety or frustration to avoidance and exhaustion.

Once a person is able to manage the sensory input, then he/she must integrate the various sensations into a picture, idea, or concept. This is about organizing all the input into something that makes sense and can be used to live and make decisions. The process of integration is a blending of activities such as visual processing and auditory processing with the resulting processed information being combined into usable bits of data. Again, deficits in sensory integration can show up as frustration, avoidance, anxiety, being "zoned out," resistance, etc.

At this point of development, when a person is able to integrate the various sensations, we begin to use this information for higher level skills that facilitate successful function. This set of skills is referred to as the executive functions and includes abilities such as focus, concentration, planning, evaluation, emotional regulation, sequencing of activities, and etc..

Our program is designed to identify at what level a person is having difficulty. We then design a program to start working with him/her at that level, developing the functions and skills up to the executive skills level of functioning. Our goal is to facilitate neuro-development and assist the individual in attaining efficiency in higher level functions so that their relationships and all of life is more rewarding and enjoyable.