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How to tell if your child has sensory issues


Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) - familydoctor.org

What is sensory processing disorder?

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a condition that affects how your brain processes sensory information (stimuli). Sensory information includes things you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. SPD can affect all of your senses, or just one. SPD usually means you’re overly sensitive to stimuli that other people are not. But the disorder can cause the opposite effect, too. In these cases, it takes more stimuli to impact you.

Children are more likely than adults to have SPD. But adults can have symptoms, too. In adults, it’s likely these symptoms have existed since childhood. However, the adults have developed ways to deal with SPD that let them hide the disorder from others.

There is some debate among doctors about whether SPD is a separate disorder. Some doctors argue it isn’t. Some say it’s a diagnosis for things that could be explained as common behavior for children. Others say some children are just highly sensitive. Some doctors say that SPD is a symptom of other disorders — such as autism spectrum disorder, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, anxiety, etc. — and not a disorder itself. Other doctors believe your child may suffer from SPD without having another disorder. Some say it’s clear that some children have trouble handling regular sensory information (stimuli). For now, SPD isn’t recognized as an official medical diagnosis.

Symptoms of sensory processing disorder

SPD can affect one sense or multiple senses. Children who have SPD may overreact to sounds, clothing, and food textures. Or they may underreact to sensory input. This causes them to crave more intense thrill-seeking stimuli. Some examples include jumping off tall things or swinging too high on the playground. Also, children with SPD are not always just one or the other. They can be a mixture of oversensitive and under-sensitive.

Children may be oversensitive if they:

  • Think clothing feels too scratchy or itchy.
  • Think lights seem too bright.
  • Think sounds seem too loud.
  • Think soft touches feel too hard.
  • Experience food textures make them gag.
  • Have poor balance or seem clumsy.
  • Are afraid to play on the swings.
  • React poorly to sudden movements, touches, loud noises, or bright lights.
  • Have behavior problems.

Sometimes these symptoms are linked to poor motor skills as well. Your child may have trouble holding a pencil or scissors. He or she may have trouble climbing stairs or have low muscle tone. He or she also may have language delays.

In an older children, these symptoms may cause low self-confidence. They may lead to social isolation and even depression.

Children may be under-sensitive (sensory-seeking) if they:

  • Can’t sit still
  • Seek thrills (loves jumping, heights, and spinning).
  • Can spin without getting dizzy.
  • Don’t pick up on social cues.
  • Don’t recognize personal space.
  • Chew on things (including their hands and clothing).
  • Seek visual stimulation (like electronics).
  • Have problems sleeping.
  • Don’t recognize when their face is dirty or nose is running.

What causes sensory processing disorder?

Doctors don’t know what causes SPD. They’re exploring a genetic link, which means it could run in families. Some doctors believe there could be a link between autism and SPD. This could mean that adults who have autism could be more likely to have children who have SPD. But it’s important to note that most people who have SPD don’t have autism.

How is sensory processing disorder diagnosed?

Parents may recognize their child’s behavior is not typical. But most parents may not know why. Don’t be afraid to discuss your child’s behavior with your doctor. He or she may refer you to an occupational therapist. These professionals can assess your child for SPD. He or she will likely watch your child interact in certain situations. The therapist will ask your child questions. All of these things will help make a diagnosis.

Can sensory processing disorder be prevented or avoided?

SPD can’t be prevented or avoided because doctors don’t know what causes it.

Sensory processing disorder treatment

Treatment is usually done through therapy. Research shows that starting therapy early is key for treating SPD. Therapy can help children learn how to manage their challenges.

Therapy sessions are led by a trained therapist. He or she will help you and your child learn how to cope with the disorder. Sessions are based on if your child is oversensitive, under-sensitive, or a combination of both.

There are different types of therapy:

Sensory integration therapy (SI). This type of therapy uses fun activities in a controlled environment. With the therapist, your child experiences stimuli without feeling overwhelmed. He or she can develop coping skills for dealing with that stimuli. Through this therapy, these coping skills can become a regular, everyday response to stimuli.

Sensory diet. Many times, a sensory diet will supplement other SPD therapies. A sensory diet isn’t your typical food diet. It’s a list of sensory activities for home and school. These activities are designed to help your child stay focused and organized during the day. Like SI, a sensory diet is customized based on your child’s needs. A sensory diet at school might include:

  • A time every hour when your child could go for a 10-minute walk.
  • A time twice a day when your child could swing for 10 minutes.
  • Access to in-class headphones so your child can listen to music while working.
  • Access to fidget toys.
  • Access to a desk chair bungee cord. This gives your child a way to move his or her legs while sitting in the classroom.

Occupational therapy. Your child also may need this therapy to help with other symptoms related to SPD. It can help with fine motor skills, such as handwriting and using scissors. It also can help with gross motor skills, such as climbing stairs and throwing a ball. It can teach everyday skills, such as getting dressed and how to use utensils.

Check your insurance

Talk to your doctor about how a therapist fits in your health insurance. Many times, insurance won’t pay for therapies used to treat SPD. That’s because SPD isn’t yet recognized as an official disorder.

Living with sensory processing disorder

Living with SPD can be hard. Parents of children with SPD can feel alone. They may avoid taking their child out in public to avoid sensory overload. Parents may also feel like they need to make excuses for their child’s behavior.

Adults who have SPD may feel isolated, too. Sensory overload can prevent them from leaving the house. This can make it difficult to go to the store or even to work.

Adults who are struggling with SPD should work with an occupational therapist. The therapist may be able to help them learn new reactions to stimuli. This can lead to changes in how they deal with certain situations. And that may lead to an improved lifestyle.

Sometimes, even if SPD gets better with therapy or age, it may never go away. A major life event or stress can trigger symptoms.

Questions to ask your doctor

  • How can I determine whether I have/my child has SPD?
  • I have/my child has SPD. Now what?
  • How can I help my young child have fun at the playground if he or she has SPD?
  • Can my child live a normal life?
  • How might my child react to certain stimuli?
  • Will SPD go away as my child gets older?
  • Are there any medicines that help SPD?
  • Can you help me find out if my insurance will cover therapy?

How Do I Know if My Child Has Sensory Issues or Emotional Problems? — Child Counseling in Davidson

Katie Lear

Help for Anxiety, Help for Behavior Problems

Katie Lear

Help for Anxiety, Help for Behavior Problems

“It is a daily struggle to get my son to brush his teeth. ”

”My daughter has a huge meltdown any time we go to a crowded place.”

”My child plays too rough with other kids, and can’t seem to get out of their personal space.”

”We spend forever trying to find clothes my child is willing to wear, because nothing feels ‘right’ to him.”

Do any of these sound familiar to you? Concerns like these bring many families to a child counselor’s office, because they can really get in the way of a child’s life and cause stress for the whole family. But how can you know if your child’s behavior are caused by emotional struggles like anxiety, or by sensory issues? In this post, I’ll be talking about common signs of sensory processing difficulties that might show up as behavioral or emotional problems.

What Are Sensory Processing Issues, Exactly?

“Sensory processing” describes the way that our brain and nervous system deals with the information we receive through our senses. We take in sensory information all day long through our eyes, ears, noses, mouths and hands, and special receptors pass along this information to the brain, which interprets the information and decides how important it is. For most of us, this all happens pretty easily: our brains can manage the amount of sensory information they’re receiving, and know just how to handle the information when it arrives.

For some people, though, this process isn’t quite so easy. They may be easily overwhelmed by the sensory information they’re receiving, which is called hypersensitivity. They may crave more sensory information and not be getting enough, called hyposensitivity. Or, they may have a hard time organizing information from different senses and keeping it all in sync, a process called sensory integration. This kind of trouble with sensory information is more common than you might think: it likely affects between 5 and 15% of kids.

How do Sensory Processing Issues Affect Kids?

Sensory processing issues can affect any of the 5 senses we are all familiar with—sight, hearing, sound, taste, and smell—but it can also have an impact on 3 additional senses you may not have heard of before. These senses are:

Proprioception: Our sense of where our body is in space, and what our body is doing.
Vestibular: Our sense of balance and movement, which is controlled by the inner ear.
Interoception: Our awareness of sensations inside our bodies, like heartbeat and hunger.

We may not always be totally aware of these senses: for example, proprioception helps us to move around easily while we focus on other things, and our vestibular system keeps us balanced as we go about our day. When one of these senses is not being processed well, it can cause problems for a child.

When Sensory Hypersensitivity Looks Like Emotional Problems

Children who are hypersensitive are more easily affected by information from at least one of the senses. This means they can get easily overwhelmed by sensory experiences that might not seem like a big deal to others, which can lead to outbursts, meltdowns, or avoidance of certain tasks that might look a lot like anxiety or behavior problems. Here are a few ways hypersensitivity commonly shows up that might look like an emotional issue:

  • Extremely picky eating

  • Tantrums and meltdowns that seem to come out of nowhere, but mainly happen in loud or overstimulating places

  • Abruptly running away from caregivers, which can be a safety risk

  • Being very sensitive to the fit and texture of clothing, for example, refusing to wear anything with a tag or anything that feels “wrong”

  • Refusing to brush their teeth or hair, or avoiding other activities that involve the senses, like haircuts

  • Not enjoying cuddles or touch, especially when it’s unexpected

  • Fear of swings, slides, or other activities that involve movement

When Sensory Hyposensitivity Looks Like Behavioral Problems

Kids who are hyposensitive react less strongly to sensory input than other people, meaning they often feel understimulated and crave more sensory input. These children often engage in “sensory seeking” behavior, meaning they deliberately try to get more of the sensory experiences they lack. Sensory seeking can look a lot like aggression or hyperactivity, and it may be hard to figure out the root cause of a child’s behavior at first glance. Here are a few examples of hyposensitivity that might resemble emotional symptoms:

  • Speaking too loudly, or craving loud music or TV

  • Not giving people enough personal space

  • Seemingly in constant motion, with difficulty sitting still

  • Lack of awareness of their own strength, which leads to being too rough with others

  • Touching people (hugging, holding hands, sitting in laps) even when it isn’t socially appropriate

  • Very drawn to rough-and-tumble play, like crashing into furniture and jumping off things

  • Doesn’t appear sensitive to pain

  • Frequent chewing on objects, thumb-sucking, or nail-biting

How to Get Help for a Child with Sensory Issues

If you suspect your child has issues with sensory processing, it’s worth bringing up with your child’s pediatrician and school. Often, schools can help children to get evaluated for sensory processing issues for free. Teachers might also have good insight into your child’s behavior at school, and your pediatrician may recommend skills to try at home before reaching out to another professional for help.

If you do decide to get professional help for sensory issues, an occupational therapist can help. Occupational therapists use an activity-based approach to help children better process sensory information and practice life skills. Kids often participate in occupational therapy in a “sensory gym”, and the process is a bit like play therapy in that it non-invasive and often fun for children. Through OT, kids learn exercises they can practice at home to get used to different sensory experiences.

Sometimes children with sensory difficulties benefit from counseling, as well. Many (but not all) kids with sensory processing difficulties also have anxiety, ADHD, or fall somewhere on the autism spectrum. You can learn more about my online therapy with children by contacting me here.

Tagged: counseling for child behavior, child anxiety counseling davidson nc, play therapy davidson nc

Acuity of sensations. Sensory integration disorders in children in Novosibirsk

Some parents are concerned about their child's behavior: difficulties in communicating and playing with peers, hyperactivity, inattention, distraction, frequent mood swings, excitability or lethargy, poor sleep. The child cannot independently do homework and organize his free time. It often happens that parents mistake such behavior for a character trait or laziness, but in many cases it is a sign of a sensory integration disorder. How to help your child and change the situation for the better, said Lyudmila Vyacheslavovna Efimova, a neurologist. nine0004

A child is born without any experience with the environment. From the first seconds of life, various sensations begin to enter the brain through the senses. A series of sensations allows us to receive information about the state of the body and the world around us, accumulating sensory experience that a person needs to control the body and thinking.

Sense organs through which information enters the nervous system:

Sense organs, their receptors, conducting pathways and the part of the brain responsible for processing the received signals, together form a sensory system. The best known sensory systems are sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. They help us feel the physical properties of the world around us: temperature, taste, sound or pressure. nine0005

  • sight, hearing, smell, touch;
  • tactile - received through skin receptors from touch, pressure, temperature, pain;
  • vestibular - received from the inner ear about the state of balance, gravitational changes, movement and position of the body in space;
  • proprioceptive - derived from muscles and joints about body position, weight, pressure, stretch.

The sensory system allows us to receive information from the senses, and sensory integration to process it and further use it as an experience of interaction with the outside world. nine0005

The child's sensory system is quite fragile, so adverse factors can lead to a gradual onset of disturbances. They can be seen by the following signs:

  • difficulty concentrating, "hears" mother only after the 3rd time;
  • the child is restless and restless, impulsive, his mood often changes;
  • quickly get bored with activities, toys;
  • ignores rules of conduct;
  • forgets and often loses things; nine0016
  • sleeps poorly, often wakes up at night;
  • is afraid of water.

In infants

There are no symptoms of sensory integration disorders at this age, but some prerequisites for their appearance can be created if the baby's mobility is limited. For example, if a mother always carries a child in her arms, not allowing him to move enough, then the baby lacks the experience gained from independent movements. To prevent this from happening, parents need to create conditions for the baby that are optimal for motor and speech development. To do this, it is important to talk with the baby, let him crawl, explore and touch objects made of different materials and different sizes, show toys of different colors. nine0005

Preschoolers

At preschool age, the inability to play is a very common symptom of sensory integration disorder. The child cannot build a house out of cubes, hold a toy, or fold a simple mosaic. The child does not feel his body and does not know how to control it, his motor coordination suffers, he loses his balance, stumbles all the time, drops objects more often than his peers. In this case, the child is shown classes with a physical therapist.

Junior schoolchildren

At school age, children with sensory integration disorders have learning problems. This arises either from the difficulty of mastering the curriculum, or from violations of the behavior associated with schooling, even if learning abilities are not reduced.

The child tries to concentrate, but it is difficult for him to concentrate, all his strength is spent on this, which makes him very tired. Against the background of fatigue, the child begins to be distracted by extraneous sounds, actions, his brain is overexcited and the child may begin to “jump around the class” not because he wants to do it, but because his brain is getting out of control. nine0005

The child cannot explain his problems or understand and evaluate what is happening, because the brain processes are unconscious and not subject to control. Adults often only exacerbate the problems of the child, forcing him to perform overwhelming tasks. But it is important to understand that neither rewards nor punishments can affect the situation, so it is worth contacting a neurologist with such behavior.

Adolescents

One of the most common complaints of parents of adolescents with sensory disabilities is lack of concentration. It is difficult for the brain to organize sensations and therefore everything else. A teenager is unable to concentrate on tasks such as cleaning a room or writing an essay, it is difficult for him to plan a series of tasks, he does not know where to start, or how long each action will take. If he is interrupted, he forgets what he was doing. There are days when it is impossible to concentrate on something and complete the task at all. nine0005

Rehabilitation program

Neurologist and physical therapist first perform sensory diagnostics and, based on the results, create a recovery program. It includes physical therapy, massages, visceral correction.

Two weeks after the end of the course, concentration of attention and sleep will improve, mood will stabilize, memory will improve, the work of the gastrointestinal tract will normalize.

This will give the child the opportunity to study better, get along with peers and parents, and respond more calmly to stressful situations. nine0005

At the Center for New Medical Technologies

, rehabilitation courses are taught by neurologists and physical therapists from the Health Recovery Clinic.

Sensory integration disorders: causes, symptoms, treatment

Disturbances in sensory integration in sensation and the proper organization of sensory sensations manifest themselves in various types of dysfunction in the child, such as tearfulness, hyperactivity, and speech defects. Through exercise, you can eliminate them.
If you're worried about how your child perceives the world, read the article and decide if you need to see a doctor. nine0083 Sensory integration disorders were classified according to measures such as motor, behavioral or response to an unexpected situation. The typology of sensory processing disorders is divided into 3 main categories:

Sensory modulation disorders
The main symptoms are:

  • increased or decreased reactivity to high or low tones,
  • hyper- or sub-reactivity to bright light, new unexpected, amazing images, nine0016
  • tactile protection,
  • sub-reactivity to touch or pain, gravitational ambiguity, which is excessive reactivity / in children with normal postural responses / to changes in sensation during vigorous horizontal or vertical movements,
  • hyper- or sub-reactivity to odors,
  • hyper- or sub-reactivity to temperature, a qualitative deficiency in the ability to modulate motor activity. nine0016

Sensory movement disorders
Main symptoms of sensory movement disorders:

  • motor-oral disorders that occur under the influence of low muscle tone, poor motor planning or tactile hypersensitivity in the oral cavity,
  • abnormal muscle tone and stabilization,
  • violations in the planning of large and small motor skills,
  • quality articulation deficit, nine0016
  • incorrect components of movement such as: balance between flexors and rectifiers, rotation, equivalent reactions, stabilization.

Sensory differentiation disorders:
Main symptoms:

  • qualitative shortcomings in the processing of visual-spatial information,
  • qualitative deficiency in some aspects of auditory stimulus processing,
  • qualitative deficit in some aspects of tactile differentiation. nine0016

Sensory Integration Disorders: Causes
Doctors do not agree on the causes of Sensory Integration Disorders - they can have different causes and their sources can be found in:

  • perinatal factors, here: caesarean section, risk of hypoxia during childbirth, vacuum.
  • high bilirubin, i.e. prolonged jaundice,
  • low birth weight
  • alcohol consumed by the mother during pregnancy, as well as during pregnancy, nine0016
  • genetic factors.

Symptoms of sensory integration disorder

  • Hypersensitivity to touch, movement, visual or auditory stimuli. The child feels overloaded with stimuli. Poorly tolerates being in a store or on a playground. An oversensitive child may complain of discomfort caused by the sticker on clothing, tight clothing. Dislikes washing and combing hair, avoids manual work and group activities. nine0016
  • Too weak sensitivity to touch, movement, visual or auditory stimuli. The child receives sensory stimuli with less intensity than they should. During the game, he tries to knock over, hit someone, wants to listen to loud music. He loves to lose his balance, hug him, etc.
  • Too much or too little physical activity. Such a child is agitated, hyperactive, or slow and lethargic.
  • Problems with coordination. Such a child has problems with manual operations, for example, holding pencils and other utensils, unzipping. nine0016
  • Delays in the development of speech. The child does not want to speak or cannot speak even simple words correctly.
  • Problems with concentration. Clutter around the child is not a sign of SI disorders, but if the child has problems with the organization of order and cannot place, for example, blocks in a specific box, he is easily distracted, distracted, always needs help - this is a signal of SI disorders.
  • Cholera and impulsiveness. The child is easily upset, reacts aggressively to the world around him, does not cope with emotions, and avoids physical intimacy. nine0016

Treatment and exercise
Sensory integration disorders need to be treated because they do not go away on their own. The specialist should determine whether the child's questionable behavior is related to sensory integration disorders. The next step is therapy and exercises at home.
The therapy takes place in a sensory room adapted to the needs, it is not too bright and well muted. Exercises are performed through play: the purpose of the exercises is to improve the integration of the senses in the nervous system and eliminate the problem. nine0083 Sensory therapy uses objects with different textures and shapes, simple, in muted colors. The child is encouraged to use a hammock, skateboard, make plasticine figures or draw with his feet.
The presence of the parent is very important because he is an active participant in the child's therapy and it is worth repeating the exercises at home.
This therapy for sensory integration disorders usually lasts from 6 months to 2 years. The child's nervous system is stimulated, and simple daily activities become less and less difficult if this work is supported at home. nine0083 Suggestions for exercises for SI disorders: