Sensory Processing Disorder

NOTE:not every adopted child has issues or disorders!

Sensory processing disorder (also known as sensory integration dysfunction, SID, or DSI) occurs when a person fails to process sensory messages coming from the environment in a smooth and efficient manner. Children with sensory processing problems often feel confused, afraid, oblivious, assaulted or angry when confronted with sensations that other children their age take in stride. These emotions may in turn play out in their behaviors.

Carol Stock Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child and The Out-of-Sync Child has Fun, notes that the main hallmarks of sensory processing disorders are unusual (and often extreme) responses to “tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensations – the sensations of touching and being touched, of moving and being moved.” The other senses – hearing, seeing, and tasting may also be involved.

Sensory processing disorder looks different from person to person. One child may be tactile defensive and so avoid touch, and tantrum at the feel of tags in her clothing. Another child may be completely unaware that his diaper is wet or his hands are cold. Some children are “sensory seekers” who crash, spin, swing and tumble. Others may refuse to use playground equipment at all, because even one swing would make them feel dizzy.

Sensory processing disorder can be sub-divided into several patterns. First are problems with sensory modulation, in which the child fluctuates between under-reaction and over-reaction to sensory messages because her central nervous system cannot accurately organize or regulate them. This child might scream – because her brother is talking too loudly! With disorders of sensory discrimination, the child may not be able to differentiate between different stimuli, so he misunderstands and misjudges the relative significance and value of the things in his world. He may overfill his cup while pouring milk, trip on the stairs, hug a friend with too much force. In dysfunctions of praxis, (dyspraxia), the child cannot plan and organize a sequence of unfamiliar actions. She will struggle to keep up with other children as they open their desks or lockers, write in their books, get changed for gym, etc. Awesome List of Articles & Books