Sensory Processing Disorders: What Type of Sensory Issues Does Your Child Have?

By: Judy Benz Duncan, Occupational Therapist

While a child may be diagnosed with a sensory integration or sensory processing deficit, a stand-alone diagnosis of SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) does not formally exist, and many practitioners are hesitant to list that as a diagnosis.

A child’s (and those in their life) experience sensory issues in many different ways and thus there is not just one treatment strategy that will work or help support a child in exactly the same way. Children with Sensory Processing Disorders and Sensory Processing Integration Deficits can experience a combination of sensory processing challenges or may only exhibit sensory issues in only one main area. 

The activities and ideas presented here are a starting point that you may want to begin with. Working alongside your child’s service providers in developing a program that best works for you and your child is always highly recommended and will bring the best results and success! As an Occupational Therapist, I have seen the most effective gains made when the whole team works together in supporting a child’s needs.

What is Sensory Processing Disorder?

SPD is a condition where sensory stimulation and sensory information is not interpreted properly by the brain and nervous system. Children with this condition tend to be either sensory hypersensitive (oversensitive), sensory hyposensitive (under-responsive), or sensory seekers (seek and crave). SPD and Sensory Integration Deficits can turn the most common everyday experiences like flushing a toilet, sitting still to eat, or wearing certain types of clothing, into overwhelming, unbearable, and even painful events for the child.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Sensory Issues

While each child is unique, and signs can vary greatly, some of the most commonly seen signs or behaviors that may point to a sensory issue, may include:

o   Being overly sensitive, or hyper-sensitive, to sensory information

o   Being slow to respond or fairly unaware of sensory information or hypo-sensitive

o   Seeks or craves more sensory information or is often called a sensory seeker

o   Has difficulty in planning, coordinating, and organizing their movements through space

o   Finding it difficult to plan and organize their movement, often called dyspraxia

o   Difficulty with body awareness and reading proprioceptive input where they may appear “clumsy” or having poor postural control and coordination, difficulty with fine motor skills and development

o   Having difficulty being able to discriminate and tolerate between different types or degree of sensory stimulation

o   Hyper-Acute hearing, or is hyper-sensitive to sounds

o   May have impaired language development where they “miss” hearing the instruction or all of the directions, or confuse one word for another, most typically related to focus, attention, and slowed auditory processing speed (click for blog)

o   May have an aversion to touch, including hugs, holding hands, walking barefoot on the grass or sand, different textures of clothing or blankets, the wind blowing on them, and so on

o   May not have a sense of boundaries or personal space, wanting to touch or make contact with anyone and anything, using their hands, feet, or mouth

o   May appear to have a high pain tolerance and not notice bumps, bruises, or cuts

o   May appear overly aggressive when playing with others, which may be related to poor body awareness, interpreting proprioceptive input, issues with reading sensory cues; this often impacts their development of social play skills and keeping friends that will tolerate those behaviors

o   Difficulty with focus and concentration, often easily distracted, and often struggles with the need to sit for a meal, task, or activity; this often affects their ability to learn new things, or it may take them longer to learn new skills

o Acts before they think; may put themselves into dangerous situations

What You Can Do:  

Talk to your pediatrician, OT/PT/ST, teachers, service providers for specific direction on your child – online is great for education and ideas, but those professionals that know your child are your best bet for helping to set up a plan and program that meets your child’s needs.

Click & Go to the following TheraPlay4Kids Blogs and Articles:

a)  Modifying Sensory Thresholds

b)  Hypersensitive Sensory Threshold Activities

c)   Hyposensitive Sensory Threshold Activities

d)  Is Your Child a Sensory Seeker or Avoider

e)  Oral Sensory Seeking Behaviors

f)   Calming Sensory Overload

g)  Is it a Sensory Overload or Tantrum?

h)  Strategies for Times it Really is a Tantrum

i)   Developing Body Part Awareness / Proprioception

j)   Checklist / Plan for setting up an IEP/ 504 Plan/ Educational Plan

k)  A whole page where dozens of OT sensory related blogs and articles can be found on TheraPlay4Kids.com

Introduce sensory experiences slowly and let your child go at her own pace. Remember to not force your child to touch or participate in situations that they are not ready for or where you see they are uncomfortable with. Sometimes you need to start with just having the activity or item in sight for a while letting your child get used to seeing it, before moving on to touching, tasting, or interacting with it

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Thanks for your support!

Stay Calm – Breathe – Take Breaks – Have Fun!

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