Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

Sometimes when a child has behavioral challenges, it is not just psychological.  It can also be caused by something being “off” physically.  Before treating psychological reasons for difficult behavior, it is always best to consult with a competent medical doctor to rule out or treat any physical medical conditions.

Though I do not have an official diagnosis, I believe that my daughter, Chloe, has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).  From what I can tell, her brain does not process the sensory input it receives the same as most other children and it causes her much frustration and stress.  Her behavior is quite difficult to deal with at times.  She is very emotional, explosive, aggressive and just downright violent at times.  This condition is very common in children (and adults) with Autism Spectrum Disorders, but it can also show up in people who are not on the spectrum as well.

It seems to me that the western medical community is not very eager to acknowledge Sensory Processing Disorder as an actual medical condition. Treating SPD can be very expensive and time-consuming.  One very helpful place for finding help with SPD is a knowledgable occupational therapist who understands the condition and has experience treating it.

I have just discovered a wonderful article, written by someone who suffers from this condition, explaining how SPD causes “melt downs.”  Click here to read the article: “An SPD Meltdown. How does it feel?”

There are many good websites dedicated to Sensory Processing Disorder.  Some that I refer to often are: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/, http://understandingspd.com/index.html and http://www.spdsupport.org/index.html.

When I understood Chloe’s condition, I was finally able to help her.  Some of the things that have helped are changing her diet to gluten-free and avoiding pesticides, preservatives, additives, processed foods and refined sugar.  Kids with acute sensitivity to light, sound, and other stimuli in their environment can also be very sensitive to certain foods.  One of the very common diets recommended for kids with Autism is gluten-free and casein free.  Casein is found in dairy products.  For Chloe, eliminating the dairy actually made her worse, so we added it back in the form of yogurt and healthy cheeses like goat and sheep cheese, organic eggs and butter.

It has also been helpful to Chloe to give her a “sensory diet” of spinning and swinging for vestibular stimulation, deep pressure hugs, wearing a weighted vest, eliminating certain noises just to name a few.  Different things work for different kids.  This is where a good occupational therapist comes in.  S(he) can recommend things to help the child relax, self soothe and cope with the overwhelming (or underwhelming) input the brain/body are experiencing.  At first, Chloe did not understand how the weighted vest would help her, so she rejected it.  Then, with encouragement, she tried it and noticed that she felt better.  Don’t be afraid to try something for a while to see if it helps.