Sensory Processing Disorder

Definition of SPD (spdstar.org)

Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into responses. For those with Sensory Processing Disorder, sensory information goes into the brain but does not get organized into appropriate responses. Those with SPD perceive and/or respond to sensory information differently than most other people. Unlike people who have impaired sight or hearing, those with Sensory Processing Disorder do detect the sensory information; however, the sensory information gets “mixed up” in their brain and therefore the responses are inappropriate in the context in which they find themselves.

Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD (originally called Sensory Integration Dysfunction) is a neurological disorder in which the sensory information that the individual perceives results in abnormal responses.  A more formal definition is: SPD is a neurophysiologic condition in which sensory input either from the environment or from one’s body is poorly detected, modulated, or interpreted and/or to which atypical responses are observed. Pioneering occupational therapist, psychologist, and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., likened SPD to a neurological “traffic jam” that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly.

I first heard about sensory processing disorder (SPD) from the food therapist we had taken my soon to.  My son was tested and although she didn't give us a formal diagnosis, he was high on that spectrum.  Once I learned about SPD, I clung to that.  Something to grasp.  Something to explain his strange behaviors.  He wasn't overly difficult, but he had really tough moments.  And they were typically over things that didn't make sense to me.  He had the occasionally melt down about the clothes he was wearing.  I had to cut the tags out of all his shirts.  (Which is a problem for me because with five kids, I kept clothes as hand-me-downs. Now I'm stuck with a bunch of clothes and I don't know the size!)  He hated his jeans.  They just weren't right.  Either too big and baggy or too tight.  Once he found a pair that he was comfortable with, he lived in them, like everyday.  He also had trouble getting rid of things.  He had an emotional attachment to his stuff.  So when his pants got too short, it was a major battle to tell him he couldn't wear them anymore.  It didn't matter that they were at his shins.  He couldn't give them up.  I had to actually hide them until he forgot about them.  I cleaned out his room with him gone.  One time I made the mistake of leaving the trash bag where he could see it.  Big mistake.  He happened to see something of his on top and went through the whole bag fishing out his things.

One of the earliest signs I can remember was at nursery at church.  He was about 2 and when I went to pick him up the teachers told me he wouldn't eat his snack.  What was it?  Rice Krispy treats. What?  Who doesn't like rice krispy treats?  Although he actually did like them, he picked it up and set it right down and wanted to wash his hands.  Too sticky.  He didn't like how it felt in his hands.

Hair cuts.  This is a battle.  I always cut my boys hair and he hates it.  When he was little, I was scared to take him to a salon though for the fear of the tantrum that was sure to come. He wouldn't sit still. The hair was falling all over him and it was like he wanted to crawl out of his skin.  To make matters worse, he didn't like the feel of the cape either.  Or how it felt for the hair to poke him through his shirt. So he insisted on no shirt or cape. I would try and give him a sucker to distract and it would case more problem because if I piece of hair fell on his sucker, well, let's just say, it got real ugly, real fast. One day I had had enough.  I put him in a head lock, shaved his head while he screamed in about 5 minutes, and threw him in a tub. After that, he always got a buzz cut. He still hated it, but it was much faster.  But I tried everything to make it an easier process.  Once he laid across the bathroom counter with his head over the sink so the hair would fall straight into the sink.  That kind of worked but it was uncomfortable and hurt his neck.  Sometime he held the hose end of the vacuum and was allowed to catch the hair as it fell.  Finally we found the perfect set of clippers.  It wasn't the Flowbee but the idea was the same.  The clippers had a little compartment that sucked up the falling hairs.  We still use it today.  As I'm writing this, he is sitting across from me, in dire need of a haircut and I dread it.  He's older and wants sometime more sophisticated than a buzz cut (mostly because the kids at school rub his head after a fresh cut).  He doesn't throw tantrums anymore, but he fights it.

When he was 4, I signed him up for a library story time.  He didn't go to preschool so this was a great opportunity to be around other kids and learn to interact.  They did singing, stories, and crafts.  He didn't really complain too much about going, but once we were there, he would have a hard time participating.  For one of the songs everyone got to pick out a set of bells.  Seems like fun!  As soon as it got to the part where everyone got to ring their bells, he immediately covered his ears and got very upset with the noise.  Crafts were tough too.  One time they did finger painting.  I believe we opted out.

We moved to the charter school for first grade.  The best part was the uniform. The slacks were comfortable. No more fights about what to wear! He probably wore the same pants for four days in a row, I didn't know and I didn't care.  As long as they looked clean, we were good to go.

Over the years we have learned to understand more about this and luckily were are in a good place. He knows what he can handle and even seems to be more tolerant of things.