I love putting my feet in the sand and playing around in it with my toes. But there are people who just can't deal with this. I know of a boy who just can't take the texture of new clothes, so in return his mom washes and tumble dries any new clothes between 5-10 times before he is able to wear them.
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What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is where the brain has trouble to receive and respond to some, any or all information it receives throught the senses. This can be found in various forms eg. certain porridge textures, the texture of certain types of cloth, certain sounds (someone chewing) etc.
Sometimes people with SPD can seem to be uncoordinated, bump into things, they have trouble with spatial orientation and cannot engage in conversation or play. SPD is usually "diagnosed" in childhood and is commonly found in individuals with austism spectrum disorder.
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Types of Sensory Processing Disorder
Symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder
Behavioral Symptoms
These individuals withdraw themselves when touched.
They struggle to calm themselves after they have done some exercise or when they where upset.
They refuse or struggle to eat certain types of textures.
Some can be very sensitive to certain fabric textures.
Most of them only wear soft clothes or clothes without any tags.
They struggle to make their hands dirty.
They never engage in any creative play.
When they play, there is a lack of variety of play.
Most of them are oversensitive to sounds (hairdryers, someone eating)
They can be oversensitive to a variety of odours.
They struggle with certain movements like swinging or sliding.
They can notice background sounds that most of us can't.
They can sometimes harm others by accident during play.
They can exibit dangerous play.
Image SourcePhysical Symptoms
These individuals most of the time have an odd posture, which can cause them to be clumsy and have poor balance.
They have delayed fine motor control as well as gross motor development.
They usually have impairments in sleep, eating and/or any elimination patterns.
They seem to be in a constant motion and jump, swing, spin excessively which in return makes them fatigue easily. They can also alternate between constant motion and fatigue.
They have poor coordination, fall often and have a high tolerance to pain.
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Decreased ability to interact with peers
May stand too closely to others
Social isolation
Depression
Anxiety
Aggression
Fearful of crowds
Avoidance of standing in large groups
Fearful of surprise touch
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What can be done for children with SPD?
- Textures items (Texture balls, Textured materials)
- Weighted items (Weighted blankets
- Sensory balls (balloons with flour in)
- Textured seat aids
- Sensory bins
- Play dough
Read the post at https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/must-haves-for-homeschooling-kids-with-sensory-needs to see a mother's ideas on helping her children with sensory needs.
Resources
https://www.webmd.com/children/sensory-processing-disorder#1
http://www.ascentchs.com/developmental/sensory-processing/symptoms-signs-effects/
https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/must-haves-for-homeschooling-kids-with-sensory-needs
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@alchemage has voted on behalf of @minnowpond.
If you would like to recieve upvotes from minnowponds team on all your posts, simply FOLLOW @minnowpond.
To receive an upvote send 0.25 SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memo To receive an reSteem send 0.75 SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memo To receive an upvote and a reSteem send 1.00SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memoI am working with a student this year who also has SPD. This can be a challange for the student, other students in the classroom, and the teacher. I teach science in middle school and much of my curriculum is centered around group work and activities. This can be very difficult for children with SPD. However, knowing the symptoms and what sets a child off, can make a world of difference. It can be a challange but one that can be overcome. Thank you for the article!
Hi @tanyaschutte
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Thank you. Have been trying to edit the post the whole day due to network errors. Finally got to edit it partially before our network errors started up again. Will try to fix the last bit as soon as possible.
@steem-marketing has voted on behalf of @minnowpond.
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To receive an upvote send 0.25 SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memo To receive an reSteem send 0.75 SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memo To receive an upvote and a reSteem send 1.00SBD to @minnowpond with your posts url as the memoNever knew such a disorder exists. It must be very difficult for people with the disorder :(
I think it must be. When I did my teaching practicals, I one year taught at a kindergarten where they speciallized in sensory processing disorder. It was amazing to see what they did for these kids.
Yes that would be amazing to see :D
Headphones, sunglasses & avoiding being bumped go a long way in helping the world get too overwhelming to begin with, as well as finding soothing sensory stimulus that helps the brain feel less jangly.
Water running or rain sounds, blowing bubbles, a stuffed animal with excellently textured fur, rain or glitter sticks can all be soothing & even slightly annoying textures like nail files can help make the crappy sound/texture stop replaying on an endless loop of repulsion. (I can't even think about a mister clean magic eraser, ugh!) Weirdly enough, the right kind of loud music helps too.
It's not all bad though! I believe I have this & am working on getting a diagnosis. The same areas negatively over-stimulated can also bring intense pleasure when positively stimulated & those too can be replayed by the brain.
ASMR videos can make excellent exposure therapy tools & some of them feel SO good on the brain.
Thanks for a great read, it's lovely to see awareness about this going out. I wish I'd known sooner & avoided a life as a lonely recluse.