What is Sensory Processing Disorder?

Making sense of Sensoryย Processing Disorder

spd child 3

What makes sensory processing disorder so difficultย to understand is that it can look really different for each child and symptoms can be contradictory. Some children are hyper-responsive and over-reactive to their environment, some children are hypo-responsive leading them to seek increased sensory stimuli, and some children have a combination of over and under responsiveness. Often, these children are described asย โ€œout of syncโ€ with their environment (recommended reading: The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranovitz). Here are just some examples of the types of sensory challenges faced by families:Photo of distresses young girl

  • The Sensory Avoider: A child with tactile sensitivity writhes in discomfort in reaction to typical clothing and parents have struggle when attempting to get their children to wear something other than the well-worn sweatpants, yesterdayโ€™s t-shirt, and stretched out socks.

 

 

  • sensory processing disorderThe Sensory Seeker: A child seeks to climb to the highest heights on the playground and
    fearlessly and repeatedly jumps from the top of the structure to the ground as you and other onlookers observe with concern. Once on the ground this child crashes and bumps onto the ground and into you with a seemingly ceaseless need for contact.

 

  • fingers in earsThe Sensory Contradiction: A child with auditory sensitivity holds her ears when confronted with a loud environment but tirelessly screams and bands on the piano at home unaware of the deafening reverberations created for the rest of the family.

 

Further Reading:

Raising the Highly Sensitive Child

Parenting a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder – My Story

Early Childhood Developmental Disorders – Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Trauma Exposure, and Anxiety

Photo by Jes Kimak Photography

About Dr. Arielle Schwartz

Arielle Schwartz, PhD, is a psychologist, internationally sought-out teacher, yoga instructor, and leading voice in the healing of PTSD and complex trauma. She is the author of seven books, including The Complex PTSD Workbook, EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology, and The Post Traumatic Growth Guidebook.

Dr. Schwartz is an accomplished teacher who guides therapists in the application of EMDR, somatic psychology, parts work therapy, and mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of trauma and complex PTSD. She guides you through a personal journey of healing in her Sounds True audio program, Trauma Recovery.

She has a depth of understanding, passion, kindness, compassion, joy, and a succinct way of speaking about very complex topics. She is the founder of the Center for Resilience Informed Therapyยฎ in Boulder, Colorado where she maintains a private practice providing psychotherapy, supervision, and consultation. Dr. Schwartz believes that that the journey of trauma recovery is an awakening of the spiritual heart.

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