Sensory Kids

Special needs families.

Children with difficulties.

Understanding their needs.

Hi, this morning I have special needs families on my mind. Mine is a special needs family but I know it is not the normal type of special needs family. Is their a normal type? I'm not quite sure there is but anyhow, I thought I would describe some of our challenges.

Emotional misunderstandings... Have you ever thought you understood how someone else felt only to find you out you really didn't? Have you ever done something to someone only to find out later they felt hurt by what you did even though you were trying to help? My oldest has this issue... It used to happen a lot but now he has improved. He still has no clue about some emotions that others express. He has no clue (most of the time) about his own emotions nor how to express them.

Life can be confusing; especially for those who already have a problem understanding themselves. Someone recently asked what it means to be a "sensory kid". I thought I would take the time to elaborate on what sensory problems are and how they affect people, especially those who suffer from it. I recently posted this on muy facebook so you might have seen it already. If you have, I'm sorry. :o)


What does Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) look like?

When our brains receive too much or too little sensory input it tries to compensate for the lack of or too much input. This is referred as a sensory processing (or integration) disorder. It can do this by creating a need to touch everything (as a result of too little input) or to not wanting to be touched (as a result of too much input). It can lead to behavioral issues such as meltdowns, avoidance to stimuli, acting out, crying, hitting and more. This can be interrupted by those who do not understand the needs of the child as that child is acting out, being bad, disobeying or over reacting. When in reality the child is just not able to handle the amount of sensory input they are getting. By adjusting or adapting the environment for the child that child can then handle things much easier and is able to live a more normal life.

Both my sons, myself and my husband all have sensory processing issues; all to a different degree. When kids are young they have not learned how to work around their sensory issues. As adults most of us already have learned to cope so the problems are not apparent to those around us.

I do not always recommend changing the environment too much for the child (depending on the severity of the sensory issues) but rather teaching the child coping skills. I have always held the belief that the world will not change for people but rather will expect the person to change for the world. Of course this depends on the child and the environment.

I hope this has helped you understand it a little better.