Sensory Issues

 Sensory Processing Disorder

• Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses.  People with SPD can become oversensitive to things in their environment.  Most people with Sensory Processing Disorder do not have Autism, but studies have found that 3/4 of children with ASD have significant symptoms of SPD. 

• SPD occurs when sensory signals are either not detected or do not get organized into appropriate responses.  If can affect people in only one sense or multiple senses.  One person may over-respond to touch sensation and find clothing or  physical contact unbearable and another person might under-respond and show little or no reaction to stimulation, even pain to extreme hot or cold.  Sensory Processing Disorder is a spectrum just like Autism.

• Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration can help with SPD.  Occupational Therapy (OT) is focused on foster appropriate responses to sensation in a fun way.  Sensory Integration (SI) focuses on 3 basic senses:  tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive.  Those 3 senses are interconnected.

• Jaxon has been going to Occupational Therapy since he was 2.  Slowly he has conquered a lot of his sensory aversions.  Jaxon used to hate tags in shirts and he couldn't stand to fingerpaint.  He has come a long way.  His main sensory issue now is noise.  He wears his noise reducing headphones more and more it seems.  He has to wear them to fall asleep, he wears them to church and eventually takes them off, he wears them at school, he wears them when there's not much noise at all.  School is trying to reduce the time with the headphones.  My main thought is now the headphones are a comfort to him, and he doesn't necessarily need them as much as he wears them. 

• OT has worked with Jaxon by having him do a lot of heavy work like pushing, lifting, and pulling large objects.  He also has worked on his issues with finger painting by playing with shaving cream, play doh, and sand.  OT has been working on Jaxon's vestibular movement by swinging and jumping.  He loves it!  He used to hate vibrating toys,  and would cry when he saw them, but now he loves the feeling!

• Jaxon has yet to be diagnosed with SPD, and I'm not sure he ever will be.  He has sensory aversions for sure, but they aren't that bad.  They don't hinder his life to where he can't function.  But you never know what the future holds. 

Jaxon pushing the "sled" during an OT appointment.  Heavy work really helps!!!