(McIntosh et al., 1999 Miller et al., 1999) contributed that children with SPD show increased electrodermal responses and decreased habituation while Davies and Gavin (Davies and Gavin, 2007 Brett-Green et al., 2008 Davies et al., 2009, 2010 Gavin et al., 2011 Chang et al., 2012 Brett et al., 2016 Lagasse et al., 2019 Crasta et al.) found evidence of reduced sensory gating.

Over the past two decades, we have furthered our understanding of the neurophysiology of sensory processing in general, however additional research is needed for specific subtypes of the condition. The WRF funded over 50 scholars, who, as members of the SPD Workgroup, worked for two decades to evaluate whether the reliability and validity of sensory processing issues were strong enough to suggest a new syndrome, which was termed Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). This issue of Frontiers celebrates the growth of scientific knowledge, founded upon Ayres' research from 1960 to 1988 (Ayres, 1955, 1964, 1966a, b Ayres, 1971, 1977, 1989) and progressing with the support of a 25-year initiative, by the Wallace Research Foundation (WRF) (1994–2019). Ayres to learn the culture of research in a transdisciplinary environment and to hypothesize the brain/behavior connection in the newly conceptualized condition.

Membership in the neuroscience department permitted Dr. From 1964 to 1966, Ayres, an occupational therapist, conducted post-doctoral studies at UCLA Brain Research Institute. She proposed a new syndrome, which she termed “sensory integration dysfunction” (SID). In impressive detail, she collected and studied clinical observations, standardized assessment data, and treatment methods. Ayres ( 1972) was the first to explore sensory processing, focusing on children with learning disorders.

Jane sasson