Please note: I have embedded material from YouTube to engage you in this topic. If you are at a school with YouTube block, you will not be able to see these videos.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

What Are You Talking About? What is Sensory Processing? How do I treat SID?

Sensory information is collected in your nervous system and then causes a chain of responses and growth through development, processing, interpreting, and responding to information millions of times during any given experience.

Sensory processing is the same term as sensory integration (SI) for communication purposes. SI is the use of information that the senses take in and respond to, thus creating an appropriate motor and behavioral response.

As you would guess, a dysfunction is a breakdown in that sensory integration system which causes a inappropriate motor and maladaptive behavior. This issue is termed Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), once called SI disorder, is currently seen in five to fifteen percent of the human population (Gallagher, 2012).

Here are some stories and comments:

(Miller, L.J., 2011)

Blog Post December 2011: We have a child with SPD and I'm lost what to do for her she is seeing a physical therapist (PT) twice a month. We have seen her school work, when there is too much info on the page its like her brain just shuts down and she does other things like reading talking which gets her in to trouble and failing grades. Help please!

Response: I highly recommend finding a competent occupational therapist to guide you through the steps and adaptations.

Blog Post June 2011: What the (deleted) is this woman trying to accomplish with these exercises? How in the world does falling into a bunch of balls going to help these kids? That game she is playing on her belly with the ball is a joke. SPD is a scam - formulated by therapists to generate revenue.

Responses: Proprioception, especially unpredictable proprioception experiences, are the most difficult for some people to process. This process requires a trained therapist to guide a child in such a way that we avoid trauma, yes trauma from a bunch of colorful balls, and instead create a positive experience. SPD is an amazing diagnosis that has drawn many parents to tears of relief because they finally have a way to address their child's issues.

That is a great question! SI is supposed to look like play because that is a child's main venue for learning. Many kids with SPD have problems with touch input-their brain is not interpreting information from that sense like a typical child's would. Providing the child with games that provide intense input (such as in a ball pit) allows the brain to better interpret and integrate that sense. It is a pretty fascinating subject. I've seen results (in myself & others) with this approach.

Link to this comment on YouTube

TED Talks About The Brain

Lopiccolo, A. J. (Photographer). (2011). Sensory integration therapy - pediatric occupational therapy.

[Web Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?

Miller, L.J. (2011). In the clinic with dr. a jean ayers: Sensory processing disorder [Theater]. Available

from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Haw5m3Zxvy4

Gallagher, C. E. (2012, May 20). About spd. Retrieved from http://www.sinetwork.org/about-sensory-

processing-disorder.html