Autism Awareness Day 21: Sensory Processing Disorder

During our evaluation in October, Connor was seen by two psychologists in a room filled with toys, a playhouse and all. He would be observed as he played and interacted with the adults.

Connor didn't talk at the time, yet he would come over to me and literally slam his head and body into me as hard as he could. A few times, he would actually head-butt me with his head and laugh instead of cry. (I was ready to cry-it hurt!) He would wriggle about when held, never content to sit still.

The psychologists would murmur things as they watched and wrote. Occasionally, we heard, "Oh, that's so proprioceptive" or "Yep, vestibular" and "oh, there's some stimming". Tom and I were in a wash of new lingo-which has taken us so long to understand.

Proprioception comes from Latin and means "one's own". It is the sense of the relative position of our body parts and it is regulated internally. It provides the sense of where you are in space. Believe me, it made NO sense to me at all. How the heck do you NOT know where you are in space? Connor didn't know. So, he would slam his body into the couch, onto the floor, into us to feel where he was in space. His body wasn't telling him or telling him enough. I still have trouble relating to this one.

Vestibular is your balance system, mainly regulated within the ear (cochlear). The vestibular system gives signals to control the muscles-including eye movement and muscle motion to keep you in place. Connor's vestibular system needs movement like spinning, swinging and upside-down movements in order to be regulated. A clue why Connor never enjoyed sitting still.

Tactile is the sense of touch, through receptors in the skin that indicate pressure, temperature and pain. Connor is both hypo and hyper-sensitive. This has challenged us to exasperation many days.

Olfactory is the sense of smell, including being able to discriminate and respond to different odors. Connor doesn't seem to be bothered here so far.

Oral is the sense using one's mouth. Some kids respond negatively to different textures of food or will mouth objects or eat inedible things. Connor likes to eat food and we haven't experienced too much trouble here.

Visual is sense using your vision to process and respond to what is seen. Connor never enjoys looking at books with others or pointing to things in the distance. He still seems to have the baby-sense of not realizing an object that isn't in front of him. (except CAR, of course)

Auditory is related to sounds and processing what is heard. I think the combination of crowded, noisy stores with both visual and auditory overload overwhelms both me and Connor.


Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is when the neurological process of sensory integration is disrupted-whether it is in the intake of information, the organization of information in the brain or the output-which impacts behavioral, social, emotional and learning development.

We ALL have some kinds of sensory dysfunction-things that bother us more than others. But for children and adults with SPD, these things can affect the quality and routine of daily living.

So, how was Connor different? He needs extreme input in the vestibular and proprioceptive areas. If we squeeze him hard, you can feel his little body relax into you, as if it is what he needs to be peaceful. Lately, he lays across the swing and goes back and forth on his stomach, serving to help his vestibular needs and proprioceptive needs too. He loves being upside down, loves to be spun around until his eyeballs wiggle, loves anything fast and precarious. Pushing heavy baskets, large trucks and chairs about also helps the input. He is actually calmer following heavy work or jumping on a trampoline. Many times, we swing him around or bear hug him so that he can remain calm. He seeks it out. At the diagnosis, he tried to move a huge stack of chairs across the room (that prompted a great deal of writing and comment from our evaluators!) and we also use the laundry baskets for him in the house-whether he is pushing them around or riding in them.

But the other problem was his clothes. Basically, he hated pants and diapers. He wiggled out of them at any and every given chance. At home, at daycare. We finally began to put him in onesies all the time. From there, he would take his diaper off under his pants. He would be sound asleep in his crib half-naked. About a month ago, he began screaming if I tried to put a shirt on his arm to dress him. Screaming like I was hurting him. The OT had us learn to administer deep pressure and joint compression. Joint compression literally moves the joints together and deep pressure is like a deep pressure massage on the pressure points. On his feet, I could push until my thumbs ached and he doesn't seem to respond. Yet, on his legs and arms, he squirms about. Finally, we resorted to brushing his skin with a surgical brush and that has finally worked to keep his clothes on without tears. So, his tactile sense is completely askew-ranging from unfeeling to light touch freak-outs. Another example is our backyard. Anyone who has been in our backyard knows it is a minefield of thistle-type weeds with sharp points all over them. No one I know can tolerate walking barefoot on our lawn, yet Connor will do it all day long without pain.

He doesn't handle certain stores well if they are particularly crowded or have flourescent lighting. Jo-Ann craft store is one that I will not bring him to anymore. The first time we went in, he screamed inconsolably like I was hurting him, until we had to leave. No snacks, no drinks, no hugs would do. Another store is Costco. I have taken him there three times and I will not do it again to save my sanity and his. Sometimes he handles the grocery store well, sometimes if it is crowded-no one leaves unscathed.

I do notice that he appears to be very auditory in his learning. He will listen to music and to voices and repeat. He can say the sounds of animals upon hearing their names, but he doesn't seem to recognize them visually. That would be more of how we learn over a real sensory issue. I am a visually-oriented person, as is my son Ian. Tom and Connor both seem to be much more auditory. But I digress.

Connor is a risk-taker. He doesn't have a natural reflex to protect himself from heights, from falling. You or I might put our hands out to break a fall. Connor doesn't. He is learning in therapy, but it is one area that needs tremendous work.

SPD is not a medically recognized disorder. It will not be covered by insurance should your child have it. Children can have SPD without other neurological disorders such as autism, BUT almost every child with autism has some form of sensory disorder. I personally wonder if some of our illustrious ADD and ADHD friends are not misdiagnosed and instead have a form of SPD. Some of these kids would do well to have a trampoline in class to regulate their system before sitting down to do some work. I wonder....

So, what things do we do to help Connor along? The trampoline is one. The swingset is another. We also use the exercise ball. My wonderful mother-in-law made him a weighted blanket to increase the pressure on his skin at night to calm him down. I find that if he awakens in the night, I simply cover him back up and he returns to a good sleep. (thank you Sheila!) Some of my students last year wore weighted vests. I never had a clue (and didn't have enough of a clue to ASK) why they had to wear these vests. They would ask to remove them and the aides would say NO. Finally, I discovered that the extra weight gives input to the nervous system and helps to regulate and calm them considerably. Another game is called Burrito, where you roll Connor up in a blanket roll and allow him to figure his way out. Truthfully, I would HATE to be rolled up in a blanket-how claustrophobic! Yet Connor AND Ian both cannot get enough of this game.

A terrific book that I would recommend to ALL parents of any child-not just SPD kids or kids with autism is a book called "The Out of Sync Child", written by a music teacher (alright!) and gives a terrific outline of this disorder and how to develop a way to put yourself in their shoes and a way to be more patient. She also wrote activities in the book "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun" with a wealth of great sensory ideas for ALL kids. Ian loves all of the sensory play as much as Connor.

So, think about how you might be sensory-challenged. Ian doesn't like crowds and he still sucks his thumb (working on it!). I don't suck my thumb, but I freak out if the smoke alarm goes off-I literally get very panicky and if it does sound, it is like I am frozen in place. What's your sensory overload point? We all have one! Imagine a kid with a ton of them!

Here are some links on SPD also known as Sensory Integration Disorder.

Sensory Processing Disorder

National Autism Association Link

SIRRI Arizona

Health A to Z on Sensory Integration Disorder

Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation