Babies and young children who have experienced early adversity miss out on good, nurturing relationships, and the sensorimotor development that goes along with them. Their bodies therefore lack a solid foundation for sensory integration.

This book lays out a practice model – the Building Underdeveloped Sensorimotor Systems (BUSS) model – to help identify and assess whether these gaps are present in a child’s sensorimotor systems. It also advocates the potential of rebuilding the gaps in these systems – using games and activities that take place within loving parent-child relationships – to offer the child a healthy, attuned base from which to develop sensorimotor skills. Also included is a section on parents’ experiences of using these activities with their children.

With a positive view of approaching sensorimotor underdevelopment, these strategies and case studies all demonstrate that, with the right kind of attention, these children’s systems can be rebuilt.