 Over the years as a therapist I have worked with many kiddos with multiple diagnoses under their little belts. Over time as I learned more and more about SPD and understood each individual child and their own unique sensory story...I started to see a pattern...many or most of the kiddos I worked with also had a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD, OCD, and/or generalized anxiety disorder. In my professional opinion and many colleagues agree, these other diagnoses are often just the symptoms, and as I like to call "side effects" of SPD. I realize that in our society that a recognized diagnosis is often necessary for insurance reimbursement and to qualify for services through the state. Thank goodness finally the diagnosis of SPD is getting recognition, making significant head way, and hopefully in the near future with have its own ICD -9 code! BUT, when we put this part aside...I think it is detrimental as well as overwhelming for a parent and the child to carry the burden of all of these labels. It is unnecessary and often causes pre-judgement and people jumping to conclusion especially in the school system. Not only that, the pushing of medication to address the diagnoses is just tragic in my eyes. Here is my rationale and my professional opinion and explanation of these "side effects".... Almost all sensory kiddos have difficulty with self-regulation and modulating (processing) the ever changing sensory input coming into the brain on a constant basis. This can be very unpredictable, scary, painful, and uncomfortable for the child. So for starters, anxiety is almost always going to be a factor. It is a very reasonable symptom and a result of the difficulty in processing sensory information...wouldn't you be anxious if being touched or a loud unexpected sound or loud voice/laugh was painful and caused a fight or flight reaction? I sure would be!!! This is what is happening with our sensory kiddos...and it creates a generalized anxiety response to their little world. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms are also quite common. The way I see this and correlate this to sensory is via "sensory anchors" (Refer to previous blog post on this topic). When a child is dysregulated and feeling disorganized, sensory anchors are used to help the brain feel good and feel a sense of control. This is when you will typically see OCD symptoms at their finest. So a child will do something that feels good to the nervous system such as lining up toys or counting things out in repetition because their little world is so unpredictable and they do not feel in control of their body or brain, and especially the environment...so they do something they CAN control. And ADD/ADHD is probably the most misdiagnosed and over diagnosed and medicated diagnosis out there. The components of ADD/ADHD go hand in hand with sensory processing disorder. If a child's brain is unable to sort or irrelevant sensory stimuli then OF COURSE they will be easily distracted and have trouble attending! And...if the child's brain is under registering sensory input and not getting the necessary and proper sensory nutrition in which the brain needs to attend and maintain a ready state for learning, behavior, and social skills...OF COURSE they will also be so called "hyperactive"! They are trying to get sensory input on a constant basis! So there you have it...that is my take on the "side effects" of SPD...take it or leave it. :-) The bottom line is it is necessary to address the root of the problem which is most likely an over or under registration of sensory input and when you get to the root of the problem and address the foundation of sensory development...the rest just falls into place! More in depth information on this topic can be found in "Your Essential Guide to Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder". CommentsHeather Horne 01/06/2012 14:33
My daugther is 3yrs old. She has was born with hypothyroidism. Within the last year we have noticed different behaviors in her.. She refuses to wear clothes she puts them on and has a melt down.. its awful as though the clothes are hurting her. We sent her to preschool for only a half a day for about a week had to take her out for the meltdowns i asked the peditrican if this could be something he suggesting spd. so im trying my best to find out what i can about spd..please if u can help me with some information that would be great!! God Bless... Helen 01/06/2012 16:49
Just curious, but has there been any study into the correlation of drinking alcohol (light, moderate or heavy - does not matter as even one drink might be questionable) while pregnant and these disorders? Dawn 01/08/2012 21:00
WOW... we have always wondered about ADHD for our son... however, we know his SPD rules his mind and impulse control. Our ped has been reluctant to diagnose him... which it sounds like it is a good thing. Leave a Reply |    
Angie Voss, OTR/L
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