My Child Has Sensory Processing Disorder

by Miriam Skydell Sensory Processing

What exactly is sensory processing?

Sensory Processing Disorder Treatment, also called sensory integration, is the way in which our brain acquires information from our senses and arranges/organizes/interprets it so we can respond in an appropriate, effective, and meaningful way. Sensory processing provides the necessary foundation for more complex learning and behaviour.

What is Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) / Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?

This means there are difficulties processing sensory input which affect functioning in day to day life. Our most influential sensory developmental time takes place before the age of seven, and happens naturally while we go about ordinary childhood activities.

For most of us, distinguishing between different sensory experiences — such as sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, balance, movement, and body in space awareness — happens unconsciously without our thinking about it. We receive messages from our senses and respond automatically to the information. For example, we filter out extraneous noises so we can focus on a book; we don’t notice how a chair feels under us; we don’t have to concentrate to keep ourselves balanced; we pull our hand away from a hot flame; we step down off a curb.

But all this can’t happen automatically if the central nervous system has difficulty accurately perceiving or integrating the information it receives. If the neurological process becomes disrupted somewhere in the loop of intake, organization or output, then normal development and adaptive responses will not occur. The result of this disruption is Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) / Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Learning, speech, motor skills, physical and emotional development, adapting to sensations and situations, regulating emotions, behavior, etc. may be impacted.

How will it affect my child?

Since efficient sensory processing is necessary for a child to navigate successfully in daily academic, home and social life, your child may not be able to respond to sensory information in an automatic manner that is appropriate to the situation. The “primitive” brain takes over and causes either a “fright, flight, or fight” or a withdrawal response, either of which often is extreme for an ordinary situation. For example, a child who can’t tell what truly is frightening may scream and run if someone tries to take her hand, or may obliviously walk out into traffic — both are inappropriate responses.

Are there other conditions that SID/SPD goes along with?

Autistic spectrum disorders
ADD / ADHD
Learning disabilities
Genetic disorders
Developmental delays
Behavioral challenges
Premature birth

Who can tell me for sure if my child has SID/SPD?

A qualified occupational or physical therapist can perform an evaluation using a sensory history, standardized testing and clinical observations.

Can SID/SPD be treated?

Occupational therapists provide sensory integration therapy to meet the individual needs of each child and his/her particular nervous system, providing the sensory experiences that are most helpful to that child.

What’s next?

In the next post, we’ll discuss in more detail what to be aware of and what you might expect with your sensory child.

When did you first become concerned about your child’s development? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Also, let me know there or via email what topics you would like to discuss or hear more about.

Feel free to share or quote from this blog (with attribution, please, and if possible, a link), and to repost on social media.

About Author:

Miriam Skydell, a pediatric OT with 30 years experience, developed the JumpTherapy program in 2013 to enable special needs children to receive therapy in a fun, natural play environment their typically-developing peers often enjoy. Miriam designed this groundbreaking program, available nowhere else in the United States, to help sensory integration therapy needs and social skills for the child, while parents simultaneously participate in a free support group, resulting in the optimum benefit for both parent and child. Browse our website for more details about Autism Therapy for Your Child, Sensory integration therapy for kids, Autism Resources for Parent, sensory integration therapy nj, social skills therapies for kids, autism treatment for toddlers, gross motor therapy for children, Occupational Therapist Fair Lawn, pediatric occupational therapy nj.

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About Miriam Skydell Sensory Processing

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