 |
 |
|
Sensory Disfunction
Sensory Dysfunction (or Sensory Processing Disorder) is a neurological affliction which causes difficulty in processing information from the five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing) as well as the sense of movement and positional sense. The brain "misreads" the information in ways that cause anxiety, confusion and even pain. SD can be diagnosed by itself, but it is also often found to be part of disorders including autism, Asperger's, Fragile X, speech delays, and many others.
Sensory integrative disorders include sensory modulation problems; meaning, stimuli is somehow incorrectly "sensed", thus the body's reaction to it is "off". Gravitational insecurity is part of this. A child with SD may dislike playground equipment or amusement rides, especially those causing a change in head position.
Like autism, SD is a spectrum disorder, with people on one end of the spectrum barely affected by their SD issues, and others who find daily life a challenge. Children can be hypersensitive (defensive) or hyposensitive (under-feeling) to stimuli. A child hypersensitive to touch may refuse to wear certain clothing because it is uncomfortable. A child hyposensitive may be a thrill-seeker, engaging in risky or even dangerous activities as they attempt to find the stimulation they crave. Other sensitivities include food (will only eat certain textures), light (too much, too little) sounds (too loud) etc.
Occupational therapy is the traditional method of treatment. As more therapists become aware of SD and how it is treated, more children are receiving the therapy they need to help them live a more normal life. Therapies are tailored to the child's needs and can include musical therapy to help the child calm down, activities to strengthen the muscles, play therapy to provide tactile stimulation, use of equipment such as trampolines, etc.