She received a bachelor’s and  master’s degrees in occupational therapy in 1945 and 1954 respectively and her doctorate in educational psychology in 1961. All her degrees were from the University of Southern California. She also undertook post-doctoral work at the Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles. The exposure provided the formal educational foundation for her work, but it was extensive reading of brain research accompanied by clinical research and practice that were most helpful in generating the ideas and theoretical concepts underlying the theory and treatment of sensory integrative dysfunction.

Slagle Lecture

Ayres' major research focused on sensory integration and the brain, and how sensory integration dysfunction affects children's learning abilities. In her slagle lecture, The Development of Perceptual-Motor Abilities: A Theoretical Basis for Treatment of Dysfunction, Ayres discusses the major syndromes and the symptoms associated with perceptual-motor dysfunctions. She also addresses the treatment approach for each. The most important observation to make is that different syndromes are represented by different deficits of function.

The primary characteristic of one of the categories of dysfunction is apraxia, a deficiency in the ability to motor plan. Kinesthetic and other proprioceptive sources of information play a less important role than does tactile functions. A close relationship between deficits in motor planning and tactile perception suggests the primacy of tactile functions in the maturation process. It is hypothesized that the development of central nervous system processes organizing, inhibiting, and augmenting tactile impulses in association with meaningful experiences must precede the ability to perform skilled motor tasks. The approach of treatment for a child with apraxia focuses on normalizing the tactile functions as well as training in motor skill.

The next syndrome reflects a deficit in perception of form and position in two-dimensional space. Perception refers to, not only visual perception, but also to tactile perception of form and kinesthetic perception of the position of the hand in space. It is these three sensory modalities which help to hypothesize that visual perception of form and position in space is preceded developmentally by the purposeful response to tactile and kinesthetic sensations carrying information about form and space. This relationship may not be predictable but it may be a function of a common neurological process. The suggestion for treatment, again, is to first normalize tactile and kinesthetic sensation, followed by the enhancement of perception in these modalities and of visual stimuli.

Deficit of integration of function of the two sides of the body is mainly distinguished by two behaviors. A  tendency of the hands to avoid crossing the mid-line of the body when engaged in motor tasks and difficulty in learning to discriminate and identify the right and left sides of the body, the latter type of behavior being the best representative of the syndrome. It requires treatment with controlled sensation and bilateral motor activity.

            The perceptual dysfunction, visual figure-ground, has been a clinical condition for many years. Somatic perception is closely associated with it and may have to do with non-specific functions of the reticular formation and thalamus. The developmental process is far from clear. The most promising approach will be through influencing the function of the reticular system by control of sensory input.

The last major syndrome, tactile defensiveness, is characterized by deficit in tactile perception, by hyperactive, distractable behavior, and by a defensive response to certain types of tactile stimuli. It is noted that hyperactive and distractable behavior may be linked to a specific neurophysiological mechanism. An identification of the neruophysiological basis of hyperactivity gives us a basis for another type of treatment of the dysfunction, the approach being a normalizing of tactile functions.

She is the author of over thirty refereed journal articles, several books and book chapters, and three major standardized test instruments: the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests (1972), the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test (1975), and the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (1989), all published by Western Psychological Services.

During the 1960’s, occupational therapy continued to grow and become specialized with the specialization of medicine.  The fields of pediatrics and developmental disabilities called upon occupational therapists.  Also, as de-institutionalization came into effect, there was a need to help these individuals that were developmentally challenged, mentally ill, and physically ill become independent and productive members of society.   

In 1963, some of the main focuses were on the investigation of the palmaris longus muscle, motivating a patient for rehab, and antagonstic activity in voluntary motion. A few of the other areas that were popular were work being a treatment media for all disabilities, the successes of upper extremity prothesis, and therapy for emotionally disturbed children.

Ayres, J. (1949). An analysis of crafts in the treatment of electroshock patients. American

Journal of Occupational Therapy, 3, 195-198.

Ayres, J. (1954). A form used to evaluate the work behavior of patients: A preliminary

report. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 8, 73-74.

Ayres, J. (1954). Ontogenetic principles in the development of arm and hand functions.

American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 8, 95-99.

Ayres, J. (1955). Proprioceptive facilitation elicited through the upper extremities, part I,

background. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9, 1-9.

Ayres, J. (1955). Proprioceptive facilitation elicited through the upper extremities, part II,

application. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9, 57-58.

Ayres, J. (1955). Proprioceptive facilitation elicited through the upper extremities, part

III, specific application. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9, 121-126.

Ayres, J. (1955). A pilot study on the relationship between work habits and workshop

 production. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9, 264-276.

Ayres, J. (1957). A study of the manual dexterity and workshop wages of thirty nine

 cerebral palsied trainees. American Journal of Physical Medicine, 36, 6-10.

Ayres, J. (1958). The visual-motor function. American Journal of Occupational Therapy,

12, 130-138.

Ayres, J. (1958). Basic concepts of clinical practice in physical disabilities. American

Journal of Occupational Therapy, 12, 300-302.

Ayres, J. (1960). Hemiplegia:  Occupational Therapy Reference Manual for Physicians.

New York: American Occupational Therapy Association

Ayres, J. (1960). Occupational therapy for motor disorders resulting from impairment of

the central nervous system. Rehabilitation Literature, 21, 302-310.

Ayres, J. (1960). Research for therapists. Proceedings of the American Occupational

Therapy Association. New York: The American Occupational Therapy Association, pp. 79-82.

Ayres, J. (1961). Development of the body scheme in children. American Journal of

Occupational Therapy, 15, 99-102.

Ayres, J. (1961). The role of gross motor activities in the training of children with visual

motor retardation. Journal of the American Optometric Association, 33, 121-125.

Ayres, J. (1962). Perception of space of adult hemiplegic patients. Physical Medicine and

 Rehabilitation, 43, 552-555.

Ayres, J. (1962). Integration of information. Approaches to the Treatment of Patients

with Neuromuscular Dysfunction, Study Course IV, Third International Congress, World Federation of Occupational Therapists, Dubuque, IA: William C Brown.

Ayres, J. (1963). The 1963 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture: The development of perceptual-motor abilities: A theoretical basis for treatment of dysfunction. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 17, 221-225.

Ayres, J. (1963). Occupational therapy directed toward neuromuscular  integration. In

Willard & Spackman (Eds.), Occupational Therapy (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: JB Lippincott. (pp.358-466).

Ayres, J. (1964). Perceptual-motor dysfunction in children. Offset Monograph from the

Greater Cincinnati District, Ohio Occupational Therapy Association Conference, Cincinnati.

Ayres, J. (1964). Perceptual-motor for training for children. Approaches to the Treatment

of Patients with Neuromuscular Dysfunction, Study Course VI, Third International Congress, World Federation of Occupational Therapists, World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 17-22.

Ayres, J. (1964). Perspectives on neurological bases of reading. Claremont Reading

Conference, 28^th Yearbook. Douglas MP, Editor. Claremont Graduate School Curriculum Laboratory, 113-118.

Ayres, J. (1964). Tactile functions: Their relation to hyperactivity and perceptual-motor

behavior. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 18, 6-11.

Ayres, J. (1965). A method of measurement of degree of sensorimotor integration.

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 46, 433-435.

Ayres, J. (1965). Patterns of perceptual-motor dysfunction in children: A factor analytic

study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 20, 335-368.

Ayres, J. (1966). Interrelation of perception, function, and treatment. Journal of the

American Physical Therapy Association, 46, 641-744.

Ayres, J., Reid, W. (1966). The self-drawing as an expression of perceptual-motor

dysfunction. Cortex, 2, 254-265.

Ayres, J. (1966). Interrelationships among perceptual-motor functions in children.

American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 20, 68-71.

Ayers, J. (1966). Interrelations among perceptual-motor abilities in a group of normal

children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 20, 288-292.

Ayers, J. (1967). Remedial procedures based on neurobehavioral constructs.  In Proceedings, 1967 International Convocation on Children and Young Adults with Learning Disabilities. Pittsburgh, PA.

Ayers, J. (1968). Sensory integrative processes and neuropsychological learning disability. Learning Disorders, 3 (2), 75-81.

Ayers, J. (1968). A product of sensory integrative process. In Perception and Reading, Smith HK, (Ed.).  Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Convention International Reading Association. Newark, DE.

Ayers, J. (1969). Relation between Gesell development quotients and later perceptual-motor performance. American Journal Occupational Therapy, 23, 11-17.

Ayers, J. (1969). Deficits in sensory integration in educationally handicapped children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2, 160-168.

Ayers, J. (1971). Characteristics of types of sensory integrative dysfunction. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 25, 329-334.

Ayers, J. (1971). The challenge of the brain. Perceptual Motor Conference, sponsored by the Physical Education Division of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. Sparks, NV.

Ayers, J. (1972). Basic concepts of occupational therapy for children with perceptual-motor dysfunction. Proceedings of the Twelfth World Congress of Rehabilitation International. Sydney, Australia.(no page numbers)

Ayers, J. (1972). Sensory Integration and Learning Disorders. Western Psychological Services. Los Angeles, CA.

Ayers, J. (1972). Sensory integrative dysfunction in a young schizophrenic girl. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 2, 174-181.

Ayers, J. (1972). Sensory integrative process: Implications for deaf-blind from learning disability children. In Proceedings of the National Symposium for Deaf-Blind. Garden Grove, CA: TR Publications (pp. 17-20).

Ayers, J. (1972). Improving academic scores through sensory integration. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 5, 338-343.

Ayers, J. (1973). An interpretation of the role of the brain stem in intercessory  integration. In A. Henderson & A. Coryell (Eds) The Body Senses and Perceptual Deficit: Proceedings of the Occupational Therapy Symposium on Somatosensory Aspects of Perceptual Deficit. Boston, MA: Boston University (March 7-10). (pp. 60-69).

Ayers, J. (1975). Sensorimotor foundations of academic ability. In W.M. Cruickshank & D. Hallahan (Eds) Perceptual and Learning Disabilities in Children. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. (pp. 35-53).

Ayers, J. (1977). Cluster analyses of measure of sensory integration. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 31, 362-366.

Ayers, J. (1978). Learning disabilities and the vestibular system. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 11, 18-29.

Ayers, J. (1977). Dichotic listening performance in learning disabled children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 31, 441-446.

Ayers, J. (1977).  A response to defensive medicine. Academic Therapy, 13, 149-152.

Ayers, J. (1979).  The sensory registration function in autistic and aphasic/apraxic children. In Piagetian Theory and Its Implications for the Helping Professions.: Proceedings of the Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference. Los Angeles, CA: University  of Southern California. (pp. 35-46).

Ayers, J. (1979). Sensory integration and the child. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

Ayers, J. & Tickle, L. (1980). Hyper-responsivity to touch and vestibular stimuli predict positive responses to sensory integration procedures in autistic children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 34, 375-381.

Ayers, J. & Mailloux, Z. (1981).  Influence of sensory integration procedures on language development. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 35, 383-390.

Ayers, J. & Mailloux, Z. (1983). Possible pubertal effects on the therapeutic gains in an autistic girl. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 37, 535-540.

Cermak, SA &. Ayers, J. (1984). Crossing the body midline in learning-disabled and

normal children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 38, 35-39.

Ayers, J., Slavik, B.A., Kitsuwa-Lowe, J., Danner, P.T., Green, J. (1984). Vestibular

Stimulation and Eye Contact in Autistic Children. Neuropediatrics, 15, 267-273.

Ayers, A.J & Robbins, J, (2004) Sensory integration and the child: Understanding the hidden sensory disorders (25^th anniversary edition).  Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

Ayres, A. J. (1963). The development of perceptual-motor abilities: A theoretical basis for treatment of dysfunction. The 1963 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 17, 221-225.

Sahler, Susan S. (2007). Ayres sensory integration. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from Sensory integration global network Web site: http://www.siglobalnetwork.org/about.htm