Sensory Processing Disorder

Yesterday, I was talking to my mom about insurance and funding. She asked me why I cannot get funding for my children due to Sensory Processing Disorder. It is because Sensory Processing Disorder is not actually a medical diagnosis. In the medical community, it is known more as a condition of an underlying diagnosis. It helps professionals know that more evaluating needs to be done to determine a diagnosis. Children that have Sensory Processing Disorder may have the following diagnosis: Autism, ADD/ ADHD, Anxiety, or Developmental Delays. Both of my children receive funding due to developmental delays (which I have been told are caused by Sensory Processing Disorder).

So what is Sensory Processing Disorder? SPD is a condition where individuals have trouble processing and responding to information received through the senses. People with sensory processing disorder:

·         May be sensitive to light, sound, textures, and smells

·         May crave flashing bright light, loud sound, textures, and smells

·         May lack coordination, balance, or spatial awareness

·         May have a hard time interacting with others and engaging in play

·         May be unresponsive to the world around them

·         May get extremely anxious with change and transitions

·         May get over active, flee, or hide when over stimulated

·         May have trouble settling down and sleeping

Most people with sensory processing disorder do not have cognitive delays. They are just as intelligent as their peers and some are even gifted. They just need help adapting and processing information. Therapy helps give people tools to learn how to do this. An Occupational therapist will teach appropriate responses in a sensory environment. Through play, they teach a child how to dress, eat, interact, write, and learn. A good therapist will also educate the family on ways they can be involved in helping their child progress. This will include a sensory diet (previous post), brushing (previous post), and compressions. It will also include providing the family with resources, such as: Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Signals, Raising A Sensory Smart Child, The Out of Sync Child, and The Sensory Processing Disorder Answer Book.

I hope one day that Sensory Processing Disorder will be a medical diagnosis. Currently, studies are being done that will hopefully make a difference. Being a mom of two sensory children, I can tell you that it is real and greatly impacts our family life. Making it a medical diagnosis, would open more doors with funding for new treatments. such as behavioral therapy, horse therapy, and the Sensory Learning Center. Right now, we pay out of pocket for additional services, and it adds up quickly.