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Did you know that there are actually 8 sensory systems in your body, not just 5?
Our bodies take information in through sensory systems:
Sensory Integration is the process your central nervous system goes through when it takes information in from your body’s 8 senses, processes that information, and then responds accordingly.
When one’s central nervous system has difficulty processing any of this sensory information, the body’s responses are atypical and can be observed in motor, language, or behavioral skill difficulties. Occupational therapists diagnose these atypicalities as Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD.
When we talk about Sensory Processing Dysfunction (SPD), occupational therapists diagnose 3 subtypes of SPD:
It is likely that people with sensory processing dysfunction demonstrate a combination of symptoms from the subtypes, however, a trained OT will know how to address the different deficit areas in Sensory Integration Therapy.
If you’re a parent struggling to understand how your child’s sensory system works, what it all means for your everyday life, and how to help, we’ve tried to outline some of the basics to help you make “sense” of it all! And, since OTs often use visuals to help with SPD kids, we’ve put together a visual of SPD just for you!
The STAR Institute defines Sensory Modulation Disorder as “difficulty regulating responses to sensory stimuli.” The magnitude of these sensory processing difficulties affects key areas of daily functioning and, for many children, it affects their ability to purposefully interact and engage because their arousal level and level of alertness is affected!
Sensory Modulation Disorder is further split into 3 categories or types based on those atypical responses: Over-Responsive, Under-Responsive, and Craving/Seeking.
Close your eyes, put your hand in your pocket or handbag, and feel around for your keys. Did you find them or did you touch upon that old gum wrapper? How do you know what’s what? How do you know how far and in what direction to reach, how to pull your hand out, or what material you were touching?
Better yet, how do you know what is your car key versus your house key without opening your eyes? Now put on a pair of gloves and try again.
Were you as successful in finding what you needed without using a secondary sense of vision? It’s unlikely!
You may not realize it, but every day you use a combination of discrimination senses to help you navigate your world - in this case, you just used your proprioceptive and tactile discrimination senses to help you find what you needed without your eyes!
Sensory Discrimination Disorder can happen in any of the eight sensory systems. Here are some characteristics or common observations with SDD:
Sensory-Based Motor Disorders are manifested by difficulties with balance, motor coordination, and motor tasks. There are two subtypes of SBMD: postural disorder and dyspraxia.
If you believe your child may have sensory issues, then the best place to start is with your pediatrician. They'll typically refer you to an Occupational Therapist (OT) to work on ways to improve your child's sensory responses, to get them in "just the right" state.
Once you're working with an OT, they'll typically start working with you to implement a Sensory Diet.
A sensory diet is a treatment plan filled with sensory activities that are tailored to your child's specific needs. The idea is to get the body and brain into a “just right” state of arousal.
Children with sensory processing challenges typically need more input than they receive on a daily basis, which is why we see “behaviors”. These children are oftentimes labeled as the “naughty” or “bad” kids.
A Sensory Diet is designed to give the child the input they need, at different times throughout the day for specific activities -- school, homework, meal time, and bedtime. The idea is to incorporate these different physical and sensory activities into the daily routine, throughout the day.
They need to be fun and motivating to the child -- so the child doesn’t refuse but instead feels HAPPY and CONFIDENT. We want the child to recognize how great they feel when they are regulated and how beneficial these activities are for them.
If you want to dive deeper into Sensory Diets, we wrote The Ultimate Guide to Sensory Diets - Activities, Templates, and More.
Think you're ready to implement a sensory diet at home? Or are you an OT or COTA looking to expand your sensory diet tool box?
Learn more about our Sensory Diet Digital Course!
There’s a lot to know about the ins and outs of sensory processing. This guide is not meant to diagnose your child’s sensory processing disorder, it is intended to help you begin an informed conversation with your occupational therapist about some of the sensory behaviors that are causing you to seek professional guidance.
Be sure to reference the STAR Institute Website for more information on sensory processing and check back with Harkla for more information to advise you in Sensory Integration Therapy!
If you found this article useful, you may like our other articles about Sensory Processing Disorder:
i really understand sensory processing disorder
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Nicole
March 19, 2019
Hey Ashura,
We’re so glad this article helped you to better understand Sensory Processing Disorder! Thanks for letting us know.
All the best,
Nicole
Harkla Happiness Ninja