Treating Children for Sensory Processing Disorder

The symptoms seem like normal toddler or preschool behaviors: picky eating, tantrums over what clothes to wear and clumsiness. But for some children extreme sensitivity to certain things can be explained by sensory processing disorder, or SPD. WSJ's Sumathi Reddy joins Lunch Break to discuss. Photo: iStock

Subscribe to the WSJ channel here:

More from the Wall Street Journal:

More from the Wall Street Journal:

[Rin_Evans]

I’m an adult with this as well as recently being diagnosed with ADHD and Autism, life is seriously difficult as an adult so please don’t downplay it like this, adults do struggle

[miffedcuttlefish]

If anyone is interested there is a book called "The Out of Sync Child." This book has opened my eyes to my child is perceiving the world and has allowed me to understand that these kids need more help than your average bear.

Lots of times it might seem like the kid is lazy, or too hyper, or that our kids are off and that tbey're being stubborn. Truth is that they're not always faking it. If you see your little one struggling, sometimes it's not because they don't want to, it's because they CAN'T and need MORE practice than a normal kid.

The book explains this stuff in so much detail and gives you a good sense of the systems involved with sensory processing. Reading the book, you'll discover just HOW MUCH WE TAKE FOR GRANTED, and helps you understand that your child isn't seeing things the way you're seeing them, no matter how trivial it might be.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I would encourage every parent that is having issues that their child's doctors and teachers can't quite nail down to read this book. It's so helpful and it's given me so much more empathy and understanding towards my little one.

Hope this helps.

[oatsnoodles]

I have sensory issues and my family and I know I have autism. We still haven’t got it confirmed but we know. Because of how I’ve acted in my childhood. Like getting awards ( for autism) and like certain clothing ( my sensory issues)
With me getting awards I’d sometimes cry or freeze. And my teacher called my mum in year 3 saying “your son burst into tears after getting an award and my classmates were trying to calm me down but I cried louder. And then with clothing I can’t wear things with do up buttons or zips. Zips not as bad. Then jeans. The inside of the jeans with all the buttons and stuff. I definitely have autism

Edit: I forgot this comment existed. I got diagnosed a few months after this. Now just recently (2022 november) Im getting lots of help and I've even school has been letting me bend the uniform rules as to not get sensory overload. I never knew people cared about me so much and I'm seriously happy I'm getting all this early in life!

[ashakanuteh]

i had sensory issues for my hearing as a kid, and i still do now. i remember i was wating for my bus to come and all of a sudden i heard a firetruck go by with their sirens ON. when i tell you that i covered my ears and i went into panic mode-

but the firefighters were so kind bc they saw me and turned them off :3

[RyanTreks]

Wow, I just found out about this. My brother mentioned it a few years ago but finally decided/remembered to look it up. I have ADD (was diagnosed before ADHD was heard of). I just thought I couldn't filter out noises. I also remember running out of my father's shop any time he ran a tool (especially a skill saw). It blocks all of sounds so it would freak me out, and it was loud! This also explains why I get headaches when the windows are rolled down (the wind is very loud). I hear the smallest noises (watching TV in a brick house but hear the mailman jeep as he slows and stops (from a few doors down and past - maybe 300 yards, 600 total) while the house is 400ft from the road....yet it is SO hard for me to understand what someone is saying OR to have a conversation or talk on the phone when there is noise behind me (must be silent). Of course my TV is at level 10 or 12 volume, anything higher and it's unnecessarily loud, so it's not like it's blocking all other sound out.

[justbecause]

They only discuss as it pertains to kids. So many adults struggle with this who went undiagnosed as kids.

[centwiz]

We are the picky eaters and self stimulators. we are often the ones who just leave quietly or run away without knowing why. finding out the base cause is helpful. Chemical smells also make panic, hence the fight or flight.

[barbarasunday]

My daughter is 21 . We have tried all of her life to deal with behavior issues we thought was social phobia, depression or ptsd from bullying. CPS ordered counselling didn't work and the CPS involvement added to the stress by stigmatizing her.Just few months ago a couple of her gaming friends who are autistic identified a lot of their issues in her and helped her talk to me about internal issues she had always masked before. She tried therapy again and the assessment made perfect sense, She's on the spectrum and she has SPD-especially hypersensitive to sound.She has had constant migraines because her brain processes all noise at super high volume. She couldn't turn it off and she didn't know how to tell us until recently, Who wouldn't have issues with frustration?. All of that to say I think work needs to be done on awareness by guidance staff, teachers. parents and doctors, . In hindsight regarding my girl there were many, many 'tells' that were happening all along but we failed her so many times by not seeing them.

[jilliank]

I have it. I can't touch anything without getting goose bumps or having a minor break down. I can't stand it- the people who make fun of found out and now they take those pictures change book parks and scratch them by my ear, just to see me literally die inside. I hate life so much, and part of why is this sensory disorder or whatever. :(

[screenandbean]

i have SPD i have had it sence i was born and my family still struggles with it i have depression and anxtity and it really is hard

[ghostwavewrider]

Why do you think doctors and insurance companies refuse to acknowledge that SPD exists?

[bellct]

I think my brother may have this (I am not a doctor! So I am probably wrong but here’s my conclusion!) He is very sensitive, He is super picky.There’s only a few foods he’ll eat, and most foods he’ll immediately spit it out. Because of the texture or taste. He usually doesn’t eat much because of this. Next, he has such a huge problem with clothing, it’s hard to shop for him because he won’t wear anything unless it feels perfect. Tight ? Wont wear. Scratchy? Wont wear. Itchy? Wont wear. Too big? Wont wear. Oh and he often has meltdowns when forced to eat food. Next. Light hurts his eyes he says. He sometimes complains about light being to bright. One time we were in my cousins room playing a game and she has light pink everything and bright lights. It didn’t bother anyone but him, he said it’s hurting his eyes rlly bad and we HAVE TO PLAY SOMEHWERE ELSE.

So does it seem like he has it?
One more thing, I have troubles with certain things like he does too but not as bad,
I always have a incredibly hard time with getting clothing because like him it has to be perfect. Some days tight clothing is fine others it’ll make me have a meltdown. Especially if my hair is even slightly greasy and it’s touching my neck with a tight shirt I’ll immediately change or it’ll trigger me rlly badly. One day at school I had greasy hair and it was down and I was hot from gym and my shirt was tight and the lights were blaring into my eyes. I felt like crying but I held it in. And paper, paper is horrid. Anytime I touch it, it sends goosebumps All up me and I shiver. It makes me cringe sooo bad. It’s hard to do work at school and so I often have to stop and just process it. And uhm.. yeah. Me and my brother prolly don’t have it because I’m not a doctor but that’s my suspicion and if u think we do tell me.

[olivia-kkqk]

I have spd
ITS SO ANNOYING

Literally won’t eat any foods
Materials bother me WAY more than it should

[ybbgraphicdesign]

I am 25 and I am still struggling immensely with this.
For this reason, I find it very uncomfortable traveling by means of public transport, having loads of people around me, load noises etc.

[Ellitt.mg.]

I have this undiagnosed, but I'm trying to get it diagnosed and the main sense i struggle with is touch and some sounds, and for me it only certain things that trigger me and it effects how i do self care, shower, eat, learn, and get dressed because of different things i don't like. When i experience these bad things i usually have a panic attack, stim, cry, or harm myself, and these things happen at least 3-10 times a day. If you don't have this or have any mental problems I'm hella jealous of you, but i mean cool! Please be greatful for what you have. <3

[karbler]

I'm not trying to get attention but I think I might have sensory processing disorder, I am 11 years old and I have ADD or ADHD I don't remember which one. Sometimes I can't help but shout things or twitch or whatever but thats not the point. Sometimes i'll yell or something whenever I hear certain noises but maybe it's just me being weird but I am sensitive to certain wool or when someone scratches a certain textures it makes the back of my neck feel weird.

[danielbillett]

My son is 7 and struggling, he has all the symptoms that point out he has this, but have not really heard of this before.

[ninaduran]

I have this and I got to learn more about it I guess so I guess i am not alone
And I have ADHD

[soft_box]

I hate paper and certain metal. I get it from my mother.
My math teacher forced me to pick up paper and i refused and he put me in the principal office
HE ALSO BRUNG MY 2ND GRADE TEACHER!

[canexplores]

I STRUGGLE WITH THIS in at school mostly. I have a diagnosis and am 9. It really does impact my life. Check out my and see what I struggle with. I also do OP at home to help me.