Tag Archives: sensory integration

Sensory Processing Disorder or Behavior Problems?

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I could write several articles on EACH of the senses when it comes to this topic. There are so many variances and combinations of what each child with Sensory Processing Disorder experiences, and that’s WITHOUT Autism in the mix.

We tend to see a child that misbehaves and acts quirky and defiant. I often get told that my child lacks discipline. Folks, this is a neurological dysfunction. These children have no control over the way their nervous system processes sensory input.

I have a fantastic project in the works to share with you about Sensory Processing Disorder. But today, we’ll keep it short and sweet. Today we’re going to put ourselves in the shoes of a child with sensory integration issues.

What if:

  • Parts of your body were numb regularly, and you couldn’t tell if you were sitting in the middle or on the edge of your chair. Then you fell off the chair and got in trouble for it.
  • Your clothes felt as if they were made of steel wool and insulation.
  • The humming of the lights in your office sounded louder than your boss’ voice and you couldn’t pay attention to what he or she was instructing you to do for the meeting.
  • You walked into a restaurant to eat and could smell the cleaning supplies as if they were right beneath your nose. It made you too nauseous to eat.
  • Every little sound and movement competed equally for your attention – from bird sounds to footsteps down the hall to someone showing a co-worker how to change the copier paper across the office.
  • You broke things frequently because you couldn’t tell how hard you were squeezing or holding them. Then similar items fell through your hands the next time you tried to “do it better”.
  • You couldn’t tell when your bladder was full until the moment it was about to burst, but you weren’t allowed to take a break once you realized this.
  • The lights made you squint from the brightness every single day, delivering pounding headaches from the strain.
  • Whispers sounded like yells and light, affectionate brushes on your skin felt like sandpaper.
  • You felt assaulted by parts of your clothing – the seams in your socks, the tag in your shirt kept painfully nagging at you.
  • Every 15 or 20 minutes your muscles felt like they were going to burst and your nerve endings were on fire. The only relief would be from doing jumping jacks, running, or crashing into something, but you are not allowed to get up.
  • You know in your mind what you want to write but the message takes so long to get from your brain to your hand that you give up trying.

IMAGINE sitting in your living room and turning up the TV as loud as it will go. Imagine all the lights in the room had been replaced with 100-watt bulbs. Your chair is wobbly, you’re wearing your younger sister’s clothes that don’t quite fit, and your spouse is yelling for you to sit still and listen to him recount his day. All you can smell is the garbage that desperately needs to go out and the dog is scratching at the door urgently. When you try to tend to any of these things or seek refuge from them, you get yelled at; yet you don’t know why.

What if you couldn’t stop any of this? What if every single moment of every single day was like this for you?

What if you were just a child and didn’t know that it wasn’t like this for everyone? I challenge you to shake up your perspective a bit. It may not make your experience as a parent less exhausting or frustrating, but it WILL change your level of compassion and understanding. That’s when change really starts.

Why Does My Autistic Child Scream?!

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  • Being a “space invader”
  • Staring into lights
  • Self-stimming, such as rocking, spinning, banging head, humming, or screaming
  • Little or no eye contact
  • Picky eater (especially regarding textured foods)

Does your child display any of these “odd” behaviors? What we see as abnormal or sometimes even impish or difficult is usually related to the child’s attempt to calm their body or make sense of their environment through the sensory input they receive.

It has been documented that many children with ASD have difficulty processing sensory input. Normal sensory integration is taking information from your surroundings through your senses and sensory systems, including sight, smell, sound, touch, and spatial awareness (where your body ends and space begins). The information is processed in the brain and then interpreted, organized, and sent back to the body with instructions for an appropriate response.

What happens when it goes wrong?

Imagine being “under assault” by your senses 24 hours a day. In children whose sensory systems are not properly developed, this is what it’s like. Having a sensory processing disorder means you collect the input like anyone else, but when the data enters the brain it is not processed correctly and therefore the brain sends out inappropriate and abnormal responses.

Hyperesponsive is when the brain essentially short circuits from magnified or intense sensations. Even the lightest touch to a child can trigger a “fight or flight” response: the nervous system is perpetually on high alert and perceives nearly every movement or sensation as danger. Because of this, the child may avoid certain foods, clothing, movements, or perform repeated movements in attempt to calm the body.

Conversely, hyporesponsive is when the brain simply doesn’t register and respond to input received. A child may fall down or bang his or her head and not indicate any sensation of pain. In effort to make sense of their world, they may employ all other senses to compensate. A hyporesponsive child may not be able to tell if they are sitting straight in a chair or falling over. Imagine! They will also constantly touch walls, lean back in their chair, or feel countertops and surfaces to try and ground themselves.

What if I relate to both types?

You probably are saying to yourself that your child exhibits behaviors from both categories. Me, too! Most children with a sensory processing disorder are actually hyporesponsive to some input and hypereponsive to other types. For instance, if proprioceptive input is needed by the body they may jump or push things; if for vestibular input they may spin or rock, and for tactile input they might crave deep pressure. They also lack the ability to separate their experience/input from yours, so they will frequently do to others what their bodies are seeking (squeezing the dog, plowing into a parent holding hot coffee…).

Awareness and compassion – the first step

The bottom line is that children with sensory dysfunction cannot learn to function within their daily routine unless their surroundings make sense. To compensate, the brain either turns up or turns down the response, which results in the behaviors described above.

I have found that this kind of awareness can instantly turn my frustration into compassion when dealing with these behaviors. It also helps me help my son by recognizing the responses and asking him the right questions. This encourages him to describe what he is experiencing and teaches him to ask for what his body needs before it spins out of control.