What is SPD.... Sensory Processing Disorder????

Today I was able to touch base with this area during our Skill & Connect support group,
so I thought I would share it here as well, as a reminder to some or understanding for others.......

understanding the 7 senses 

I would like to address one of the common 'co-morbid' conditions of Autism - 

'Sensory Sensitivities' - Officially diagnosed as -Sensory Processing Disorder.

The term ‘Sensory Processing’

describes our brain’s ability to receive and organize input from active senses throughout our body, 

then interpret the information to produce responses important to learn & function in any environment.

The sensory system gathers information externally in the form of our 

-  Senses -

Touch, Smell, Taste, Sound, Sight, 

and two that many don't always include, Movement and Balance.

The term ‘Sensory Integration’

is the body’s ability to receive, interpret, process, and respond to the different Sensory Stimuli.

The seven Senses are important for day to day activities, as a foundation to the operating process of our   nervous system, connecting areas of our body needing assistance to run efficiently during required skills.

The process used affect functions such as muscle movement, coordination, learning, memory, emotion,  behaviour, thought, and even sleep.

Therefore, if a breakdown occurs it often affects other functions or areas of the body.

Resulting in a diagnosis of 'Sensory Processing Disorder' (SPD)

This dysfunction changes how the brain processes or organises the flow of sensory impulses, making it hard to  share or interpret daily sensory information when required, resulting in feeling ‘overwhelmed’.

Resulting in learning difficulties, feeling uncomfortable and stressed, struggling with daily demands, and additional behavioural complications.

These special children (and adults) will face underlying challenges, as their mind tends to register 'more' information than normal, and the impact is stronger and less predictable, giving a more intense, chaotic,  sensory and cognitive experience. 

They may ‘seek out’ sensory experiences - called - under reactive -Hypo-sensitive,

or ‘avoid’ certain experiences - called - over reactive -Hyper-sensitive.

Presenting with motor skill problems, strong emotional behaviours, and experience ‘Melt-Downs’.

While it's not always possible to avoid a "meltdown", the severity and frequency can be reduced significantly  through providing soothing stimuli such as warm weighted items, gentle massage and vibrations, or the feel of various textured cloths, etc, may be help to flip the switch from chaos to calm.

Overall, a little patience and understanding may help prevent additional issues to exacerbate the conditions.

 - we can help you find the right weighted and sensory products items to use -  

https://www.facebook.com/nannastouchquiltsandsensoryproducts/ 

A better understanding of The 7 Senses:

1. Tactile or Somatosensory System– sense of touch

Your sense of touch is the result of your skin tissue contacting another surface.

There are 5 types of stimuli that can be perceived by the skin -

Tactile – usually simply called “touch.”

Pressure – a “heavy touch.”

Temperature – hot or cold

Pain – When something is damaging your tissues.

Vibration – an “on-and-off” type of touch.

2. Visual System— sense of sight

Sight or vision is the ability of the eyes to focus and detect images of visible light and generate electrical nerve impulses for varying colours, hues, and brightness.  Visual perception is how the brain processes these impulses – recognising, differentiating and interpreting visual stimuli through comparison with experiences made earlier in life.

3. Auditory System—sense of hearing

Hearing, or audition, is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations, changes in the pressure of the surrounding medium through time.  As with sight, auditory processing relies on how the brain interprets,  recognises and differentiates sound stimuli.

4. Gustatory System—sense of taste

Taste, or gustation, refers to the ability to detect the taste of substances such as food, minerals, and poisons, etc.  The sense of taste is often confused with the “sense” of flavour, which is a combination of taste and smell perception.

Humans receive tastes through sensory organs called taste buds concentrated on the upper surface of the  tongue. There are five basic tastes: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and savoury.

5. Olfactory System—sense of smell

Smell or olfaction is our ability to detect scent – chemical, odour molecules in the air.  This begins in our nose  with hundreds of olfactory receptors.  Odour molecules possess a variety of features that stimulate receptors more or less strongly.  This combination of excitement is interpreted by the brain to perceive the ‘smell’.

How this process works in the brain is still being researched and not completely understood, however, what is known is that the chemical nature of the odourant is particularly important.

6. Vestibular System– sense of balance

The vestibular system explains the perception of our body in relation to gravity, movement and balance. The  vestibular system measures acceleration, g-force, body movements, and head position.  Examples of this in practice include knowing that you are moving when you are in an elevator, knowing whether you are lying down or sitting up, and being able to walk along a balance beam.

7. Proprioception System– sense of body position/movement

Proprioception is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort  being employed in movement.  This sense is very important as it lets us know exactly where our body parts are, how we are positioned in space and to plan our movements.  Examples of our proprioception in practice include being able to clap our hands together with our eyes closed, write with a pencil and apply correct pressure, and navigate through a narrow space.