Sensory Processing

Sensory Processing is the way that the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. What happens when sensory though is affected?

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a disorder of the brain that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information that it needs to interpret the sensory information that it receives. Children with SPD find it difficult to process and therefore act upon the information received through their senses.

• At least 1 in 20 people in the general population may be affected
• Prevalence higher in children who are gifted, those with ADHD, Autism, or fragile X syndrome, than in other populations.
• Studies have found a significant difference between the physiology of children with SPD and children who are typically developing or with ADHD.
• Sensory Processing Disorder has unique sensory symptoms that are not explained by other known disorders.
• Heredity may be one cause of the disorder.
• Laboratory studies suggest that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are not functioning typically in children with SPD.

• Sensory Over-Responsive: A child tends to respond too much, too soon, or for too long to sensory input most people find quite tolerable
• Sensory Under-Responsive: Children tend to be unaware of sensory input, to have a delay before responding, responses are muted or the child responds with less intensity compared to the typical person
• Sensory Craving: Children are driven to receive sensory input, but getting the stimulation results in disorganization and does not satisfy the drive for more

• Postural Disorder: Poor perception of the position of their body, poorly developed movement patterns that depend of core strength so therefore the child appears weak and/or has poor endurance
• Dyspraxia: Difficulty thinking of, planning and/or executing skilled movements, especially novel movement patterns

• Auditory DD: Difficulty interpreting characteristics of sensory input that is heard
• Visual DD: Difficulty determining characteristics of sensory input that is seen
• Tactile DD: Difficulty determining characteristics of sensory stimuli input is felt on the skin
• Vestibular DD: Difficulty interpreting characteristics of sensory input experienced through movement of the bod through space or against gravity
• Proprioceptive DD: Difficulty interpreting characteristics of sensory input experienced through use of the muscles and joints
• Gustatory DD: Difficulty interpreting characteristics of sensory input that is tasted
• Olfactory DD: Difficulty determining characteristics of sensory input that is smelled