Sensory Processing Disorder

Tonight I had an experience which gave me a glimpse into what it is like to live with Sensory Processing Disorder. I will talk about that experience in detail in tomorrow's post, but thought I should give a basic definition of SPD first. Here is an excerpt from a book by one of the leading scientists in the field, Carol Kranowitz. Her book, The Out-of-Sync Child, is the best book out there on this topic. The following excerpt comes from her follow-up to that book, The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun.

“Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), also called Sensory Integration Dysfunction, occurs when the brain inefficiently processes sensory messages coming from a person’s own body and his or her environment. The person has difficulty responding in an adaptive way to everyday sensations that others hardly notice or simply take in stride.

Generally, the red flags of SPD are unusual responses to tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensations—the sensations of touching and being touched, of moving and being moved. The senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting may be involved, too.”

A child with SPD “may misinterpret or be unable to use [sensory] information effectively. For instance, he may have a tantrum because the tag on his shirt scratches his skin—or, he may not notice that his pants are on backward. He may feel seasick swinging for a few seconds—or persist in swinging for a ‘million minutes.’ He may panic when the dog barks a greeting—or ignore the dog’s eagerness to knock him down. He may gag at food smells and textures—or cram all sorts of things, edible or not, into his mouth. He may shrink from visual stimulation such as flashing neon lights—or ignore the sight of rushing cars and run heedlessly into the street.”

More on this tomorrow, but in the meantime, I highly recommend Carol Kranowitz’s books!