Yes, another awareness month. :)
October is Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD) Awareness month. While there is no official diagnosis in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) those who live with it and live with/love those who do face it know it is a real experience that needs special attention and care.
This is Sensory Processing Disorders as I understand them -
SPD cause the children facing them to respond inappropriately to various stimuli due to the inability to correctly define the information going into the brain. This can cause children to experience pain and fear in response to the most basic of stimuli or not be aware of pain and discomfort and act out wildly to try to get information to their brain and "feel something".
The common course of support is occupational therapy. The therapist works with the child to understand their needs and works with the parent to create a "sensory diet" for the child to help keep them balanced, evenly stimulated and feeling safe.
SPD can sometimes be misdiagnosed as Autism, ADD, ADHD. From what I have read, children with those diagnoses can often have SPD and SPD can be a stand alone experience. Medication does not help SPD, only care, attention and hard work on the part of the therapist, the parents and the child.
I am learning about SPD because my amazing son, Nolan, has been getting therapy for it for the past 3 months.
For more information on Sensory Processing Disorders please visit.
http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html
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