The sensory assault begins from the moment of wakefulness. The alarm clock blares, the sunlight creeps through the blinds and another hectic day has started. It is enough to drive a Sensor crazy. A Seeker, however, jumps out of bed and welcomes the new day. LIVING SENSATIONALLY: Understanding Your Senses (Winnie Dunn; November 2007, Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Hardcover, $23.95; ISBN: 978-1-84310-871-9; 216 pages) explains how every person has a different tolerance for the stimulus around them. Some people crave extreme sports and the pulsating beat of a nightclub. Others prefer to curl-up with a book under a comfortable blanket. Dunn divides people into four major sensory types: Seekers, Bystanders, Avoiders, and Sensors. She helps readers to find their own patterns and the patterns of those around them. LIVING SENSATIONALLY helps the reader understand how sensory conflicts arise and how best to deal with them at home and at work. For example, an
Avoider parent, who prefers calm and order, may want to take her Seeker child to the park for daily outings in the morning. The parent can sit quietly and monitor the child’s safety, while the child enjoys all the exciting playground equipment and the company of other energetic children. Each has their sensory needs fulfilled without conflict.
Dunn is the leading authority on sensory processing and internationally recognized for her research about how people respond to sensory experiences in their everyday lives. She writes in the preface to LIVING SENSATIONALLY, “When we begin to understand that everyone’s behaviors are on the same continuum of responses, it is easier to see we are more like each other than different from each other. This book enables all of us to understand the nature of our individual differences (particularly in relation to our responses to sensory experiences), which in turn makes us more interesting to each other.”
Winnie Dunn is Professor and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Professor Dunn has published widely and her work includes the development of a set of measures, called the Sensory Profiles, which are used by many disciplines internationally. She lives with her husband, Tim, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers specializes in producing accessible professional and academic books in the social and behavioral sciences. In 2007, Jessica Kingsley Publishers was named both the Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year and the overall Independent Publisher of the Year at the Independent Publishing Awards in London. The prizes coincide with Jessica Kingsley Publishers' 20th year as an independent company. Jessica Kingsley books are available worldwide through distributors, local bookstores and online bookstores. The company has offices in London and Philadelphia. More information can be found at www.jkp.com. |
