Mind you that I am not an OT although I feel at times I deserve an honorary degree because I have spent so much time researching this disorder and using the specialized techniques used to treat sensory processing disorder (SPD) for my son. I was rather excited to write about this topic because the treatment in many cases can be fun for both the child and parent.
But before we talk about the fun treatment aspect of this disorder it might be helpful to give some explanation of what sensory processing disorder is. We all know about the five senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. But did you know that we may have other senses in addition to these? We also have what is known in fancy lingo as a proprioceptive sense. This simply means our awareness of our body in space. This sense enables us to walk around without bumping into stuff. In addition we have a vestibular sense which is our awareness of movement. This is the sense which dictates whether one is fearful or actively seeking out certain types of motor movements. For example some kids love to swing and others won't go near them because they are afraid of that type of movement. There are more senses that we will discuss in much greater detail within this blog. For the purposes of this introductory page will focus on these seven senses for starters.
Everyday we humans take in a plethora of sensory information. Imagine all the sensory input you may receive within the span of the minute that you read this sentence. You may hear the motor of an air conditioner, you may feel the softness of your comforter, the taste of the snack you are eating, the smell of microwave popcorn, see the glare of your computer screen, feel an awareness of your body sitting in your chair, and sense back and forth rocking motion of your computer chair. Imagine too that the signals from these various stimuli are being sent to your brain at rapid speed simultaneously. But what happens if the way you process these stimuli is not the norm? Specifically, what happens if our brain interprets the messages we receive as too weak or too strong?
For example...
Let's say that buzz from the air conditioner really sounds like a jet engine taking off and physically hurts your ears. And let's say the signal telling you where your body is in space is so weak that when you try to sit at your chair you misjudge and fall on the floor instead. What if your need for movement is so strong that you find it difficult to sit for any length of time? And as a result you constantly rock or spin in order to feel satiate your need? What if the simple touch of a family member's hand on your shoulder sends your adrenaline racing because it triggers your startle response? What if the very fabric of your clothes feels like pins and needles scratching at your bare skin? All of the above examples are ways in which sensory processing can go awry. And for some people, this inability to self-regulate sensory information can interfere with day to day functioning.
Sensory Processing Disorder is very common for children, teens, and adults who have neurological impairments or special needs. It is very predominant, if not a defining feature, for those who have an autism spectrum disorder.
I believe all of us are on a spectrum of being able to process sensory information. For those individuals on the extremes life can be very difficult indeed.
My Max has many sensory issues that we have worked together to help him to overcome. NotYourTypicalMom has written a blog post about how her daughter was frightened of thunderstorms. Fear of the sound of thunderstorms is one example of a possible symptom of sensory processing disorder. Max does not react to thunderstorms but was terrified instead, of leaf blowers. Imagine going for a walk and upon hearing the sound of a leaf blower, you become so terrified that you run into the street and even traffic to escape the offending noise. This is how Max would react to these leaf sucking beasts. As a parent it is very hard to watch your child live in fear of their sensory triggers. It can make a parent feel frightened, helpless, and frustrated. And if this is hard for us parents imagine what our children must feel like to never know when the next trigger might occur to send them into a spiral of anxiety or panic.
Let's face it, the world is full of sights and sounds and other stimuli that we cannot predict. How does one live with such a disorder?
For every sensory issue there can be multiple types of treatment. To cure Max of his leaf blower aversion we used gradual desensitization so that he was no longer a victim of his fear. (I promise to tell the full story in a future post of how this was done). In this instance treatment was not so fun for either one of us but it was relatively quick and effective.
For other types of sensory issues we use a variety of techniques and as I said before, some of the treatment actually is fun. For example, Max tends to need a lot of movement to be able to think and learn. In our home we don't follow the rule that you need to be sitting quietly when doing lessons. We do lessons while he is bouncing on a therapy ball or in between jumps on a mini-trampoline. While the typical school situation probably would not accommodate Max, we can do such things because we homeschool. There are many children who cannot think straight if they are forced to sit quietly in a hard backed chair all day. For some children and even adults, movement gets the brain to work properly, is calming, and can be an impetus for learning. Not your norm...but then again...our kids are not the norm. This is but one example of how occupational therapy techniques can help a child with sensory processing disorder achieve their goals and get through their day with a simple accommodation.
We are going to be talking about Sensory Processing Disorder and treatment in much greater detail on this blog. So we hope you stay tuned!
In the meantime here are some resources to get you started learning all about sensory processing disorder. I found that learning some of these occupational therapy techniques helped my Max self-regulate (maintain emotional and physical stability), calm himself, and be receptive to processing information through his senses. We hope that you may find some gems of wisdom in the information presented to use with your child as well.
- The Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Center
- Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation
- The Out-of-Sync Child
- Sensory World
- Sensory Planet
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