The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz is a wonderful description of what sensory integration dysfunction, SID, is. For many years people never really knew what was wrong with these children. You could tell that something was “off” but it wasn’t any of the other diagnoses. Sensory integration dysfunction gave an answer to those families and children who did not seem to be where they should be. Carol Kranowitz describes this as a “problem which affects children’s behavior, influencing the way they learn, move, relate to others, and feel about themselves”(3). Many children can experience this in many different ways. The book goes into detail about the different types of sensory dysfunction. The book also provides multiple check lists that can be used to evaluate your own children and to get a better understanding of what sensory functions your child is struggling with.
Carol Kranowitz also uses examples to help explain the difference between typical children versus a child with SID. Along with her examples she also has personal accounts from parents who have a child with SID. It is very fascinating to hear their stories and to see how much of an impact that therapy can have with children who suffer from this. The terminology in this book is very simple. Carol Kranowitz has a wonderful ability to explain something complex in really easy to understand terms. Also, she provides a list of helpful resources that you can contact if you feel that your child is suffering from SID. There are also ways to document how your child has been reacting so that you can talk to the child’s teacher of doctor about this and be able to really use evidence from the child’s life.
For me this book is one that you should read if you feel that your child seems to be having some difficulties. Even if they do not fully have SID they can still benefit from some of the ways of thinking that Carol Kranowitz suggests in the book. In the last few chapters, she talks about things that you should and should not do or say to your child with SID and how to react to some of their mistakes. I found this section very informative and I will use some of these suggestions when I am interacting with children. This book is extremely informative and anyone who reads it will get a lot out of it and be able to help a child who is suffering from this.
Kranowitz, Carol. The Out-of-Sync Child. New York: Perigee, 1998.
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