What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
62Understandin Austin is a blog about a 12 year old boy with SPD and possible Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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My 12 year old son has Sensory Processing Disorder(SPD). If you would like to follow our journey through doctors, diagnoses, disappointments, and victories please visit Understanding Austin.
Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD:
So, what is Sensory Processing Disorder? Well, to put it in layman's terms, it is a neurological disorder that causes difficulties with taking in, processing and responding to senses. People can be born hypersensitive or hyposensitive to varying degrees. There are seven sensory areas, called the Sensory System, that can be affected by SPD.
Sensory System- is a part of the nervous system responsible for processing sensory information.
- Visual-sight.
- Auditory-hearing.
- Tactile-touch.
- Olfactory-smell.
- Gustatory-taste.
- Vestibular-balance.
- Proprioception-is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body.
What happens to people with SPD?
For people with SPD, sensory information may be sensed and processed in a way that is different from most other people. Their brain receives sensory stimuli and processes it in a way that most neuro-typical people don't The end result can be unusual ways of responding or behaving to these processed stimuli. SPD may typically present as difficulties planning and organizing, problems with doing the activities of everyday life (self care, work leisure activities, and play), and for some with extreme sensitivity to sensory input; sensory input may result in extreme avoidance of activities, agitation, distress, fear or confusion.
People can be born hypersensitive or hyposensitive to varying degrees and may have trouble in one sensory area, a few, or all of them. Hypersensitivity is also known as sensory defensiveness. Examples of hypersensitivity include feeling pain from clothing rubbing against skin or clothing tags scratching, an inability to tolerate normal lighting in a room, a dislike of being touched (especially light touch) and discomfort when one looks directly into the eyes of another person.
Hyposensitivity is characterized by an unusually high tolerance for environmental stimuli. A person with hyposensitivity might appear restless and seek sensory stimulation.
For more information on Sensory Processing Disorder visit http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/.
