Sensory Processing Concerns- No problem!
What is Sensory Processing?
(sometimes referred to as sensory processing disorders)
Many kids have trouble filtering and handling information taken in by the brain and body. Some find it difficult to filter through the senses like sound, touch, taste, sight, and smell. Beyond these senses, there are two other areas where children can be affected in a similar way. The two areas are proprioception, or a sense of body awareness, and vestibular sense, which involves movement, balance, and coordination.
Children who struggle processing or filtering are experiencing too much or too little stimulation through their senses. They can also have trouble blending sensory information, require postural remediation, and primitive reflex exercises. When multiple senses are taking in information at the same time, a busy place, being corrected, even someone talking too loudly, the experience feels internally uncontrollable. And this of course can produce outwardly uncontrollable actions. These issues create extremely challenging situations for families and the child as well as impair his or her ability to function, learn, and make friends.
Sensory Processing Concerns
Sensory processing problems usually come in two types, over-sensitivity and under-sensitivity. It’s common for children to experience both to varying degrees.
Hypersensitive kids are extremely reactive to sensory stimulation, and can find it overwhelming. They may:
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Be unable to tolerate bright lights and loud noises like ambulance sirens
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Refuse to wear clothing because it feels scratchy (even after cutting out tags)
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Refuse to wear shoes because they feel “too tight.”
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Be distracted by background noises that others don’t seem to hear
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Be afraid of surprise touch, and avoid hugs and cuddling
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Be afraid of swings and playground equipment
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Often have trouble understanding where their body is in relation to other objects or people
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Bump into things, clumsy
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Have trouble sensing the amount of force they’re applying (i.e. rip the paper when erasing, pinch too hard, or slam objects down)
Hyposensitive kids are under-sensitive, which makes them want to seek out more sensory stimulation. They may:
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Have a constant need to touch people or textures, even when it’s not socially acceptable
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Not understand personal space
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Have an extremely high tolerance for pain
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Not understand their own strength
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Be very fidgety and unable to sit still
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Love jumping, bumping and crashing activities
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Enjoy deep pressure like tight bear hugs
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Crave fast, spinning and/or intense movement
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Love being tossed in the air and jumping on furniture and trampolines.
Tantrums and Transitions
Children with sensory issues sometimes exhibit extreme behaviors such as screaming if their faces get wet, or when they can’t wear their favorite clothing item, or throwing violent tantrums when you try to get them dressed. This is because the physical sensations involved are overwhelming to them. Their brains are unable to filter out the “good” and “bad” stimuli.
Sometimes a change in environment can cause them to have extreme mood swings. An example might be a first-grader who is fine in a quiet and calm setting. However, the same child in a grocery store may become overwhelmed by the overload of visual and auditory stimulation leading to a severe tantrum that is out of her control and won’t stop until she becomes exhausted.
Instead of “shutting down” when experiencing sensory overload, a child might also become aggressive or try to run—a fight-or-flight response. If a child runs away even into a parking lot, the child is using the flight response to remove him or her form the situation, even if their new location could be more dangerous. This is why a school or public setting can be so difficult for a child to enjoy. He or she internally struggles to filter out the environments and number of people and distractions, that the fight or flight response rear it's ugly head.
But we can help!
Our evaluations
Since physical and neurological conditions present differently, and this includes sensory processing concerns, we evaluate all 6 areas of the brain and brain through physical vestibular, ocular, neurological, and cognitive testing. Once we pinpoint the areas of dysfunction, we create an individualized plan to promote body and brain regulation with families to ensure processing concerns decrease and often diminish completely.
Our care
Our care is unparalleled because we use the data to provide chiropractic therapy and neurotherapies that meet the precise needs of the child. Our plans may consist of neurotherapy, vestibular, vision, neurometabolic balancing, cognitive, neurofeedback, balance and sensory integration therapy, and more. Each care plan is different, but we can definitively say, with your partnership, we can help your help without the use of medications. You will see noticeable changes and positive results that will help reshape their new found future.