Sensory Processing Disorder

A person’s mind formulates what it thinks is an appropriate response to the stimuli in its environment based on what their senses perceive is going on. If the brain processes this information incorrectly it can impact a person’s day-to-day life. When a person perceives their environment as more or less dangerous than it actually is, it’s called sensory processing disorder or SPD.

reality.

STAR, an institution focused on learning the causes of and offering treatment for SPD, says.

The five senses are common knowledge, but the human body actually has eight sensory systems. These systems are visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, vestibular, interception, and proprioception. In more simple terms, what someone sees, hears, smells, touches and tastes, their sense of balance, internal bodily signals and the ‘awareness’ of their body in a space. The senses come together to form a person’s

STAR claims.

In individuals with SPD, the signals from these senses can became crossed, resulting in what A. JEan Ayres, PhD, a neuroscientist and psychologist, refers to as a neurological “traffic jam”.

When these signals become crossed, it can result in the person perceiving their environment as overwhelming or harmful or they could feel no sense of danger in an environment that could actually harm them. These individuals can be called “thrill-seekers” and partake in risky situations or hobbies to account for their lack of the sensations of pain. While on the other end of the spectrum, they can be passed off as “over-dramatic” because sensations others would consider normal, such as the feel of fabric on skin or the texture of certain foods, can be perceived as dangerous.

STAR references while explaining the aspects of SPD.

Misdiagnosis is common as problems with sensory processing are common in other conditions such as ADHD or autism, and many professionals are not properly trained to recognize SPD.

Even if psychologists were properly equipped, “no two people process and experience sensation and/or move and coordinate their body in the exact same way,” STAR says.

(source: sensoryhealth.org )

Story by: Teagan Willyard