Sensory Processing Disorder is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses.
The Main Sensory Areas:
- Proprioceptive – a person’s sense of body awareness and how the body relates to itself (clapping hands with eyes closed).
- Vestibular – a person’s sense of body awareness and how the body relates to other objects (knowing you are in a moving car).
- Vision – a person’s sense of sight and the ability to see the environment with our
- Auditory – a person’s sense of hearing or the ability to experience the environment through our ears.
- Tactile – a person’s sense of touch or the ability to feel things on our
- Gustatory – a person’s sense of
- Olfactory – a person’s sense of
How can sensory processing affect my child?
Sensory processing impacts many aspects of life. Sensory processing disorder can have an affect behavior, social skills, education, sleep, play time, eating, and daily living skills. To better understand the effects on daily life it is important to understand how the sensory systems work.
How do sensory systems work?
The brain receives constant messages through our body’s senses. The brain ’translates’ sensory input and sends information out to the body so that the body can respond appropriately.
Sensory Avoiding
- The brain receives too much sensory input from one or more of the sensory systems
- The brain sends a message to the body to stop receiving sensory
- Behaviors/actions by the child will likely be an attempt to reduce sensory
- Ex: covering ears when hearing a siren, turning off bright lights, not liking the feeling of tags on clothing
Sensory Seeking
- The brain does not receive enough sensory input from one or more of the sensory
- The brain sends a message to the body to get more sensory
- Behaviors/actions by the child will likely be an attempt to increase sensory
- Ex: Turning up volume on the TV, needing to move constantly, turning on the lights during the daytime.
A person can be sensory seeking and sensory avoidant. This means that one of their sensory systems sends too much information to the brain and another sensory system is not sending enough information to the brain. It is important to consider each sensory system independently when determining the best way to support someone with SPD.
How can I help my child with SPD?
Every child reacts differently to sensory input. A sensory diet is a great tool that can be used to normalize a child’s sensory system. A sensory diet is group of activities that are specifically scheduled into a child’s day so that they receive the appropriate amount of sensory input through each of the sensory systems. A sensory diet can help ensure that the brain receives the amount of sensory input needed to correctly ‘translate’ the information and send messages out to the body.
Talk to an occupational therapist for sensory evaluation, creation of a sensory diet, or for more information on sensory processing disorder.
