What is Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)?
By Zulfa Khoirunisah, A.Md.OT.
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is difficulty in using the information that is collected through the senses (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, movement, and body awareness) in daily life. The brain of a child with SPD works differently from that of a child who has no sensory integration issues. Because SPD affects the child's development, their participation in typical childhood experiences — such as performing daily life activities — will be lacking, inconsistent, or ineffective, because the child's brain is unable to organise and process the sensory information.
Sensory integration has an enormous impact on children's learning. Children gain an understanding of the world through interaction with the environment. For example, a child digs a hole in the dirt. Through this process they learn many things, such as the texture and weight of the soil and which animals live in the soil. A child who has SPD will find it difficult to learn like that, because they are not able to organise sensory information and respond to input in a functional manner.
These sensory processing difficulties cause the child to demonstrate negative behaviours or extreme emotions that are not the result of poor intellectual ability. As a result of SPD, a number of problems with learning, motor development or behaviour may be observed in children, including:
- coordination problems;
- poor attention span or difficulty focusing on tasks;
- academic-related problems such as poor handwriting and difficulty cutting with scissors;
- problems with self-care skills such as tying shoes, zipping, buttoning and feeding;
- low self-esteem;
- over-sensitivity to touch, sights or sounds; and
- an unusually high or low activity level.
Reference
- Isbell, C., & Isbell, R. (2007). Sensory Integration: A Practical Guide for Preschool Teachers. Bestville, MD: Gryphon House, Inc.