“Sensory processing disorder is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses.” This disorder is one of the common side effects of Autism. The hardest aspect of Josiah’s brain damage and Autism is his SPD. Our doctors have told us that his sensory needs are greater than any other child they have seen. Most days it is difficult for him to stand being in his own skin. This disorder affects all of his senses.
This website (http://www.ascentchs.com/developmental/sensory-processing/symptoms-signs-effects/) can tell you more about SPD, but the following is a list of sub-types of sensory processing disorder. Josiah has every one of these sub-types.
Sensory Modulation Disorder: Children who have sensory modulation disorder have problems regulating the intensity and nature of responses to sensory input. The responses may be emotional or behavioral, negative responses to stimuli not averse to others, and the problems are exacerbated by stress. Common symptoms include:
- Withdrawing from light and unexpected touch
- Gagging and refusal to eat textured foods
- Dislike of teeth-brushing, hair washing, or nail cutting
- Avoidance of messy textures such as dirt or lotion
- Strong preferences to certain types of clothing, including textures and fit
- Oversensitivity to sounds or visual stimuli
Sensory Discrimination Disorder: Children who have sensory discrimination disorder have problems discerning and assigning proper meaning to qualities of particular sensory stimuli. These children may struggle with recognition and interpretation of characteristics of sensory stimuli, have poor detection of difference or similarities in the stimuli, and often occurs with dyspraxia and poor skill performance. Symptoms may include:
- Difficulty manipulating an object when out of sight
- Difficulties following directions
- Challenges distinguishing between similar sounds
- Problems finding an image in a cluttered background
- Uses too much or too little force
- Poor balance
- Poor sense of movement speed
Postural-Ocular Disorder: Children with postural-ocular disorder have problems controlling or stabilizing the body during movements or at rest. Muscles may be hypo or hypertonic and joints may be unstable. Poor usage of vision and oculomotor control. Symptoms may include:
- Poor posture control or strength
- Poor equilibrium and balance
- Difficulty isolating head-eye movements
- Poor tracking of visual stimuli
- Avoidance of upper extremity weight bearing
- Discomfort climbing or fear of heights
- Challenges establishing dominant hand (right or left handedness)
Dyspraxia: Children with dyspraxia have a deficit in their abilities to plan, sequence, or execute unfamiliar actions. Motor skills and movement may be awkward, these children may have poor ability to generalize learned skills to apply to other tasks, and may have poor timing, sequencing, and action of motor skills. Symptoms may include:
- Trouble performing activities of daily living
- Accident-prone and clumsiness
- Resists new activities
- Poor playing skills
- Poor fine motor coordination
Our days are spent helping Josiah cope with all of this. The activities that calm him most are swinging in his therapy swings, riding in our van, and swimming.
*Please see the “The Project” tab to understand how this fundraiser and project will help us manage Josiah’s SPD.
This video shows how sensory processing disorder can affect someone non-verbal and severely on the spectrum.
This video shows how sensory processing disorder can affect someone non-verbal and severely on the spectrum.
