This is James. James has SPD or Sensory Processing Disorder. What does that mean? When people get stimulus through one or more of their senses it travels through their nerves to their brains and the brain sends a signal back so the person can make the correct response. James has a traffic jam. Either he over responds or under responds or he's a seeker or an avoider. Just because someone avoids one behavior it doesn't mean he/she avoids everything. Each category stands alone. For example, James is a proprioceptive seeker but a tactile avoider (more on those big words in a minute). SPD commonly goes hand in hand with Autism Spectrum Disorders, but you can have one or the other or both. At this time, we believe James just has SPD.
There are seven main senses: Proprioceptive, Vestibular, Tactile, Oral, Olfactory, Visual, and Auditory. Apparently, the 5 we learned in school weren't enough!
Proprioception is the subconscious awareness of where you are in space. It is required in everything that involves eye-hand coordination.
Under responsive proprioceptive (sensory seeking) kids love tight squeezes and bear hugs, kicks feet on floor or chair, excessively bangs on or with toys, chews or sucks on fingers, and makes noises constantly. They cannot get enough movement.
This is James.
Over responsive kids tend to be clumsy, fall frequently, struggle being gentle, anxiety when moving (swinging), written work is messy.
Vestibular sense detects movement and helps us balance.
Vestibular hypersensitive people have problems maintaining balance, struggle to cross the mid-line of the body, have poor balance, avoid swings, slides, ladders, and physically cling to adults.
Vestibular hyposensitive people will swing for hours, spin and not appear dizzy, constantly move, can be a thrill seeker, loves to jump on furniture, loves to be upside down.
This is James.
Tactile sense is the system that processes everything we touch.
Tactile defensiveness can include complaining about having hair brushed, showers, rain, or wind are bothersome, refuses to wear certain clothing because of seams or tags, only eats certain tastes or textures, does not like dirty hands.
This is James.
Tactile hypo sensitive people usually walk on his/her toes, craves sensory play, mouths objects frequently, not bothered when hurt, not aware of dirty faces/hands.
Oral senses are those having to do with the mouth.
Oral hypersensitivity can mean having problems digesting food, cannot stand spicy, sour, or salty foods, problems brushing teeth, gags with textured food.
Oral hypo sensitivity can include not keeping things out of mouth, poor eating habits, never get enough condiments, often messy eaters.
This is James.
Olfactory is a scientific word for smell. So, the olfactory senses have to do with the nose.
Hypersensitivity to smells means someone cannot stand strong odors and may refuse certain foods because of smell or avoid certain homes/people because of the smell.
Hypo sensitivity to smells means someone may fail to notice strong odors and he/she may not be able to smell scratch and sniff sticker, weird, right?!
Honestly, I don't know if either of these is James. I know he can smell, but doesn't seem bothered by smells.
Visual
Visual hypersensitivity is when a person may avoid eye contact, cannot be in bright rooms, have difficulty keeping eyes focused, bright lights are bothersome and will squint or cover eyes.
This is James. When he was little he put his blanket over his head all the time. We thought it was funny. He was like a bird. If we only knew....
Visual hypo-sensitivity may include poor depth perception, confuses right and left, writes on a slant, or struggles with puzzle.
Auditory means having to do with ears and hearing.
Auditory hypersensitive people can't be around loud noises, have difficulty remembering what was said, loves loud TV/music, does not respond when called, need to repeat directions often, love to make noise just to make noise.
This is James.
Auditory hypo-sensitive people are distracted by noises others usually don't hear, may not like someone because of the sound of his/her voice, covers ears, runs away, or is scared from unexpected noise.
We are lucky to live in a place where there are teachers able to work with James and meet his needs. He has grown so much in the last 2 years. He went from being paralyzed when his shirt was wet and not being able to process what to do next to just being bothered by his wet shirt and knowing that it will dry and he can move on. He is an amazing kid. All these things are James, but that's not all. James isn't going to be defined by SPD. It's just going to be something he works through. He is a sensational kid in so many ways.
