Have you ever had a hand or a foot “fall asleep?”
When this happens, your whole focus is on the sensation of your foot being asleep and how to make this feeling go away. Right?
Think of SPD as an attempt to reconnect your body to its feelings.
This is where an Occupational Therapist can help.
An Occupational Therapist can help diagnose and treat:
Over-sensitivity to stimulus:
- Sounds
- Lights
- Taste
- Touch
- Itchy clothes
- Poor Balance
- Dislike Playgrounds
- Under sensitivity to stimulus
- Bumping, jumping or crashing into things
- Spinning
- Decreased sleep
- engages with electronic games
- Increased tolerance for pain
Adults with SPD often have had a lifetime of misunderstanding. They often are upset by:
- loud music
- strong scents
- close contact with people
- experience clumsiness
- difficulty focusing
- hard time reading
- trouble sequencing
- Pediatrician (usually screens first)-A doctor who specializes in infant and childhood wellness checks and illnesses.
- Occupational Therapist-A specialist who helps kids with sensory processing issues. Neurologist-A specialist who can diagnose children with autism spectrum disorder.
- Psychologist-A mental health specialist who can diagnose children with autism.
The first place to go for concerns about SPD is your child’s pediatrician.
They will give you a checklist where you will choose the symptoms your child displays along with a severity rating.
If physical reasons are ruled out, you will be referred to an Occupational Therapist (OT) who will do an in depth assessment and create a sensory treatment plan for your child.
A sensory disorder is when someone experiences problems with one or more senses.
For example, people who experience hearing loss may not hear well enough to understand speech.
People who experience vision loss may see things differently than others do.
And people who experience touch issues may feel pain or discomfort.
The therapist will help your child connect with his body so he is not constantly spending his time seeking connection.
Treatment will focus on integrating the child’s senses including body awareness and movement.
Kids will often become calmer and more focused with treatment.
