Sensory Processing...Huh?

“Sensory Processing” is a popular term with a mysterious definition. We have had children run up to us and exclaim “I’m here to work on my sensory!”  I always enjoy asking those children where, exactly, their “sensory” is. It’s a (really cute) indicator of our overuse of the term as parents and as clinicians. Many parents read blogs about sensory processing and take away that the entire sensory processing system defines whether or not you like to touch wet things. For a scientific look at the complexity of sensory processing, look no further than the sensory processing foundation’s definition: “Sensory processing (sometimes called “sensory integration” or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or “sensory integration” (spdfoundation.net).

Now let’s make sense of that. All human beings, children and adults, process information provided to us via our senses. A quick review reminds us that our senses include touch (tactile system), sight (visual system), smell (olfactory system), taste (gustatory system), and hearing (auditory system). Further research reveals additional senses, including our sensitive system of balance (vestibular system), and our brain’s awareness of pressure between our joints (proprioceptive system). Our brains are constantly receiving information from these systems. When information arrives, our brains determine how best to process the input and use them to benefit the overall performance of the human body. As children develop, these sensory processing systems are not always completely intact, presenting a situation in which the child’s brain craves input that it doesn’t think it gets enough of. In other situations, the brain perceives way too much of a particular input, when it really is receiving normal amounts of it. This occurs in adults, too. The difference is that we have had years and years of experience in fixing these little disruptions as they occur, known as “regulation” of our sensory systems. When we sit too long in a movie theater and our legs go numb, our brains let us know via numbness, tingling, pain, etc. What do we do? We shift our weight! Another example: When you walk down stairs with a large box blocking your vision – you think you have one more step, but you’re at the bottom. Your brain was anticipating a proprioceptive input that it didn’t receive. This is what it feels like to be dysregulated.

Regulating these senses begins with identification of the patterns of sensory processing of the child. At Total Pediatrics, we obtain this through the use of a quick caregiver checklist, highlighting and categorizing the child’s behavior. From there, we create what is called a “sensory diet”, in which we provide opportunities for the child to independently self-regulate. We’ve seen fidgety children be still. We’ve seen children afraid to flush the loud toilet stand confidently as they flush and wash their hands. We’ve seen children literally bouncing off the walls learn to refrain from throwing themselves in the floor. These little victories make a giant impact in the lives of the child and their family.

For a comprehensive sensory processing evaluation and sensory diet, call us at (606) 679-1761 or send us an email at info@totalrehabcenter.com.

http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder/