I wanted to put something together to let people know about Sensory Processing Disorder, it is kind of a “overview” but a lot of our refluxers are affected by this in some degree. Hope this makes sense to every one. Just so you know, SPD can go hand in hand with developmental delays.
A few people have asked me about Sensory Integration. Here’s some info:
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a complex disorder of the brain that affects developing children and adults. People with SPD misinterpret everyday sensory information, such as touch, sound, and movement. They may feel bombarded by information, they may seek out intense sensory experiences, or they may have other symptoms.
“Sensory processing” refers to our ability to take in information through our senses (touch, movement, smell, taste, vision, and hearing), organize and interpret that information, and make a meaningful response. For most people, this process is automatic. When we hear someone talking to us or a bird chirping, our brains interpret that as speech or an animal sound, and we respond to that information appropriately.
For example, most people can block out background noise like a fan, but Samantha may hear every sound in the room (the fan, the fridge humming, the oven, the dog outside, etc.), which can make it very difficult to focus & understand when we talk to her. You may even at times see Samantha covering her ears, even when (to us) there is no loud noise. This is also why it can be very hard on Samantha being in a new setting (visiting another house, being at a restaurant, etc.), there is SO much for her to take in & process. So, she may seem to be ‘clinging’ to Chris or I or being antisocial, when she is just needing some comfort & security while she sorts through all the sights, sounds, & smells of a new or different place.
What is Sensory Integration?
The senses work together. Each sense works with the others to form a composite picture of who we are physically, where we are, and what is going on all around us. Sensory integration is the critical function of our brains that is responsible for producing this composite picture. It’s the organization of sensory information for on-going use.
*sense of touch, hearing, sight, smell, & taste
*sense of movement (vestibular)
*sense of body position in space (proprioceptive)
*organization of the senses
*motor planning (praxis- planning and executing an action)
Signs of SPD (only a few here):
*overly sensitive to or underreactive to touch, movement, sights, or sounds
*easily distracted, short attention span
*activity level that is unusually high or unusually low
*impulsive, lacking in self control
*difficulty in making transitions from one situation to another
*inability to unwind or calm self
What is Sensory Defensiveness?
Sensory defensiveness is simply the over activation of our protective senses. It is a misinterpretation that, for example, will make our clothing feel like spiders on our skin or climbing stairs may seem like a cliff, or a tendency to react negatively or with alarm to sensory input that is generally considered harmless or non-irritating.
For example, certain clothes will irritate Samantha to where she will tug & tug on the sleeves & not be able to do other activities. For a time, she absolutely could not wear footed PJ’s. We now have 2 or 3 brands of cotton clothing that she wears comfortably, and we stick to that. Tasks like washing Samantha’s hair (she does like this for right now), trimming her nails, or brushing her teeth seem like torture to her. Certain foods or textures can cause her to gag severely.
I hope that has helped explain some things & that it’s not too confusing!! For Chris & I, we are just learning things as they come. The doctors explain things to us & we sometimes forget that everyone else may not understand what Samantha is dealing with. It’s much easier since we have the page, emails & phone calls to family & friends can just be about life…not just updates on the medical stuff we’re dealing with.
The challenges Samantha faces now & the medical issues she has, are things that we will have to deal with for at least some time to come. For now, we take it one day at a time, & have acknowledged that this is how things may always be for Samantha. But the most important thing we have learned throughout this journey is that Samantha is Samatha. A cute, funny, & sweet little girl who is so full of life. She isn’t now, nor will ever be defined by her differences or a diagnosis. One thing I can’t stress enough is how much understands…just because she doesn’t speak or move like other kiddos her age does not mean she shouldn’t be treated like her toddler peers.
From some of my old posts:
Samantha still has quite a lot of crying fits in public, she has sensory issues so when she gets overstimulated, she screams or bangs her head or slaps her hands. You get some strange looks at times,but I have learned to just let it go. People are always going to have something to say, no matter how your child is acting. The babywearing does help us a lot.
Her sensory issues are our main concern, she will get overstimulated and either just compleatly zone out or have to be l
ouder than everyone around her. She compulsively sorts things (think 1-2 hours of moving things from one box to another) She self stims by banging her head on the floor, shaking her head, mouthing on everything (although she has an oral aversion) She will sit and rock, she loves things over her head (which is a big concern fior suffocation) She loves to have water poured over her head. She would swing 24 hours a day if we could arrange it. There are many others but that is just a few that pop right off the top of my head.
This is one of Laura’s posts:
This is very interesting to me…
Some of our GERDlings have this as well…
here’s info I’ve gathered & I hope people will post their own experiences…
SENSORY INTEGRATION DISORDER (SID):
Sensory Integrative Dysfunction in Young Children: http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/fall97/sensory.htm
Making Sense of Sensory Integration: http://www.spdnetwork.org/aboutspd/makingsensescript2.pdf
The Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock
Kranowitz. Think of it like the Sensory Integration
Dysfunction bible.
It’s a quick read, but very comprehensive.
An excellent web site is the SI Network site at
http://www.sinetwork.org/
There are a LOT of kids misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD who
most likely have SID/SPD.
There is a book
called Answers to Questions Teachers Ask about Sensory Integration
by Carol Stock Cranowitz et al. unfortunately many may
be mislabeled as ADD/ADHD when there really is an underlying sensory
issue. Though some will have SID & ADD/ADHD. There also is a school evaluation that is being developed to identify
how SID affects children in the classroom. They are asking for school
personnel to sign up for the pilot stage.
http://www.sasitools.com
I hope that this helps clear up some of the mystery. Please ask any ?s that you have.
.
