When I was working as a Speech Pathologist in a preschool many years ago, I took part in an inservice given by one of our Occupational Therapist. At the start of the class, she went around and put the rough side of sticky velcro on the tags in our shirts. She then started her talk.
I was uncomfortable from the minute she put that velcro on the tag in my shirt; I could not stand it. After a few minutes of her speaking, she said, “You are probably wondering why I put the rough side of velcro on the tag in your shirt. By now, many of you are very uncomfortable. I just wanted you to see how children who are sensitive to touch feel about the tags in their shirts. This is how irritating it is to them, like the rough side of velcro rubbing against their neck.”
She went on to explain, that this is why so many children complain about the tags in their shirts, or their socks hurting their feet or tell us that the waistband of their jeans are itching. They are hypersensitive to touch.
According to the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation, “Sensory processing (sometimes called “sensory integration” or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or “sensory integration.”
They go on to say that, “Sensory Processing Disorder can affect people in only one sense–for example, just touch or just sight or just movement–or in multiple senses. One person with SPD may over-respond to sensation and find clothing, physical contact, light, sound, food, or other sensory input to be unbearable. Another might under-respond and show little or no reaction to stimulation, even pain or extreme hot and cold. In children whose sensory processing of messages from the muscles and joints is impaired, posture and motor skills can be affected. These are the “floppy babies” who worry new parents and the kids who get called “klutz” and “spaz” on the playground. Still other children exhibit an appetite for sensation that is in perpetual overdrive. These kids often are misdiagnosed – and inappropriately medicated – for ADHD.
Want to learn more about Sensory Processing?
Come and hear A+ Solution’s talented Occupational Therapist, Aliza Feldman, OTR, speak about:
Understanding Sensory Processing In Young Children
You can sign up here:
Understanding Sensory Processing In Young Children
References:
Information retrieved on 12/3/14 from http://spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html