The term sensory processing refers to the way that our nervous system receives sensory messages and turns them into physical responses. For example, have you ever been preparing a meal and walked away from it and all of the sudden you smell something is burning? Your sensory system processes this information and elicits a physiological response, your heart rate increases and you rush to the kitchen to quickly turn off the stove. This is your sensory system in action.
Children with sensory processing disorder have trouble integrating the sensory information they receive with an appropriate response. The way I have always explained SPD to parents is simple, every person processes sensory information in their own way. For example, some people might enjoy the smell of something that others find noxious. Personally, I do not wear wool clothing because my tactile system finds it irritating- however this is not the case with most people.
For children with SPD, their defenses can be so significant that it impacts their day-to-day interactions. With a similar example, a tag on their shirt may irritate some children, so much so, that they are not able to focus on important tasks in school because they are hyper-focused on the tag that is bothering them.
Children can be impacted
by SPD in countless ways. This is
referred to as their “profile” they may be over responsive to auditory input
but under responsive to movement or vestibular input. These factors are indicative
of a possible sensory modulation disorder. A child may be clumsy, uncoordinated or “just not
athletic” These are all possible
identifiers of a sensory based motor disorder. Another child may have difficulty identifying the direction
with which noises are made, they may have difficulty eating certain foods secondary to their texture, these are
factors that may be indicative of a sensory discrimination disorder. In short,
Sensory Processing Disorder is an umbrella term that encompasses three
identified subgroups (Sensory Modulation Disorder, Sensory Based Motor Disorder
and Sensory Discrimination Disorder) and further into the subtypes of each
subgroup. To make things more difficult and confusing, most children to not
fit neatly into one subgroup or category. (See figure below)
Here is a quick description of the subtypes of sensory processing disorder and the terms commonly
used to describe the subtypes:
Subtypes of Sensory
Modulation Disorder:
Sensory
over-responsivity (SOR): SOR is a term that describes a persons
response to sensory stimuli as more intensely, quickly and for a longer period
of time. This child is over
registering sensory input.
The child's response to such input is described as “fight or flight”,
they may avoid certain types of sensory input or they struggle to control their
environment as a means of protecting themselves or limiting the potential for
such input to occur.
Sensory
under-responsivity (SUR): Children with this subtype under
register sensory input. These are children that exhibit less of a response to
sensory information than the situation demands, i.e. taking longer to react.
These children may show a low affect, they may be lethargic, socially
withdrawn, they may have poor posture or may be under responsive to pain and
temperature.
Sensory seeking
(SS): Children that are sensory seeking (SS) CRAVE sensory experiences and
will actively seek out ways to get what they are looking for, sometimes in
socially unacceptable ways (pinching, pushing, spinning, crashing to the floor)
which may appear, to some, as a child that is simply “misbehaved”. In school this may be the child that
moves around non stop, bumps into people when standing in line or likes to sit
in the teachers lap or very close to others when at circle time.
Subtpyes of Sensory Based Motor Disorder (SBMD)-
Dyspraxia- The term Praxis refers to plan and execute a
motor task. Dyspraxia refers to a persons inability to plan, coordinate and
execute both familiar and non familiar movements. A child with dyspraxia may be described as clumsy,
uncoordinated, or avoidance of movement.
Postural Disorder- Children with postural disorder may have
low muscle tone, weak musculature specifically in the trunk or stabilizing
muscle groups such as the shoulders, hips and abdominal or back. These children will have poor seated
posture, they may fall out of their chairs often, slump over their desks or
rest their heads on the desk while working. They may have difficulty sitting on
the floor at circle time or participating in playground play or during PE
class.
Sensory Discrimination Disorder- (Tactile, Auditory, Visual, Gustatory, Olfactory, Proprioception, Vestibular and Interoception)
We all know our five
senses, we learn them as early a Pre-School. They are your auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile and
visual sense (hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling and seeing) Three other senses that are crucial to
a persons ability to effectively discriminate the world around them. These are the vestibular and
proprioceptive systems as well as interoception ( movement sense, position
sense) Children with sensory
discrimination disorder have difficulty identifying differences or
similarities of input. An example
would be the ability to decipher the difference between a penny and a quarter in
the hand without looking at the coins or reaching into a desk and being able to
pull out a pencil amid folders,
notebook and markers.
As an occupational therapist, it is my goal to improve my clients’ occupations, for children, this means schoolwork, play and self care. SPD can often impact these
occupations greatly. I found this
chart that I this is not only cute but also helpful in explaining the
breakdown of our sensory
systems and some tips for activities or modification:
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