Which frames emerged from Ayres’ original sensory integration theory?

• A. Dunn, Wilbarger, King, Ross, Champagne
• B. Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Kohlberg
• C. Skinner, Pavlov, Bandura
• D. Maslow, Rogers, Ellis

Answer: (A)

After Ayres proposed sensory integration theory, practitioners developed practical frames of reference to guide assessment and intervention. The names listed are the key contributors who extended SI into usable practice frameworks. Dunn’s sensory processing framework describes how individuals respond to sensory input and uses patterns like seeking, avoiding, sensitivity, and registration to tailor activities and environments. Wilbarger contributed a hands-on approach for managing sensory defensiveness, including protocols that use proprioceptive and somatosensory input to modulate arousal and tolerance to sensation. King, Ross, and Champagne helped articulate and formalize an SI-based frame of reference for clinical practice, integrating theory with assessment and intervention guidance. These together represent the major lines of applied development that grew directly from Ayres’ original theory.

Other well-known theorists listed belong to different domains—cognitive development, behaviorism, or humanistic psychology—and did not originate frames of reference rooted in Ayres’ sensory integration theory.