What is a Sensory Integration Disorder?
Sensory Processing Challenges
Does your child seem overly sensitive to sound, touch, smell, taste or other sensations? Do they become overwhelmed, act out or even become aggressive in situations other kids seem to handle easily? Or do they seem to barely notice things that should get their attention? Your child may be struggling with sensory processing, often called sensory processing disorder (SPD) or sensory integration disorder. These terms describe difficulty with how the brain takes in, organizes and responds to information from the senses.
Sensory processing challenges can be hard on the whole family. They can be isolating for both children and parents, they can be confusing and stressful, and they can make social situations difficult.
Trouble with sensory processing can make almost any everyday task harder. It can be linked to coordination problems, behavioral challenges, anxiety, difficulties at school and social struggles.
Sensory processing difficulties are common in many developmental and behavioral conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, developmental coordination disorder and childhood anxiety disorders. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that sensory processing problems usually occur alongside these conditions, and recommends that children with sensory difficulties be evaluated for them (1). If your child shows these signs, talk with their pediatrician about an evaluation, and consider a developmental-behavioral pediatrician.
How Common Are Sensory Processing Challenges?
Research estimates that 5% to 16% of children in the general population have significant over- or under-responsiveness to sensory input, rising to 40% to 80% of children with neurodevelopmental conditions (2).
These challenges can make it harder for children to take part in daily activities and learning, and they may affect learning and social development over time (3).
What Causes Sensory Processing Challenges?
The exact cause of sensory processing difficulties isn’t known. Twin studies suggest that genetics play a role in sensitivity to light and sound. Some children with sensory processing difficulties show unusual brain responses when exposed to light and sound at the same time, or seem to feel a sensation longer than other children do.
What Are the Signs of Sensory Processing Challenges?
Children with sensory processing challenges often become upset, agitated or hyperactive in response to certain kinds of sensations.
One child may be very sensitive to touch and find the feel of clothing unbearable. Another may be very sensitive to sights or sounds and have meltdowns in busy, noisy places.
Another child may under-respond, showing little reaction even to strong pain or big temperature changes.
Some children have trouble processing signals from their muscles and joints, called proprioception. They may have low muscle tone and difficulty with motor skills.
Other children are sensory seekers who crave intense sensations. Sensory-seeking behavior can overlap with ADHD symptoms, which is one reason a careful evaluation matters.
How Do Sensory Processing Challenges Affect the Brain?
Researchers have used an imaging method called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study the brain’s wiring in children with and without sensory processing difficulties. DTI maps the white matter tracts that connect different brain regions. In these studies, the structure of white matter in the back of the brain, where sensory information is relayed, was linked to how well children process sensory input.
DTI studies have found differences in the white matter tracts that carry hearing, vision and touch information in children with sensory processing difficulties, including the connections between the left and right sides of the brain. These differences may affect the timing of sensory signals, which could make it harder to process and combine information from different senses (3).
How Are Sensory Processing Challenges Usually Treated?
Children with sensory processing challenges are most often treated by occupational therapists who specialize in neurodevelopmental conditions. Treatment usually involves play-based activities, often with gradual exposure to the kinds of sensations that are hard for the child. When a child also has a related condition, such as ADHD or anxiety, that condition may be treated as well, sometimes with medication (4).
Research also shows how important early touch is for brain development. A study by Brauer and colleagues found that children who received more touch from their mothers in infancy had larger volume in a part of the prefrontal cortex involved in social and emotional processing (5). The prefrontal cortex plays an important role in processing sensations and choosing how to respond. Sensory processing challenges are not caused by parenting, and many children develop them despite loving, attentive care.
How the NeuroRescue Program Can Help
Our care is designed to work alongside your child’s pediatrician, occupational therapist and school team, never in place of them. Please don’t change any of your child’s medications without talking with their prescriber.
One of the most widely used approaches for sensory processing challenges is sensory integration therapy. It uses activities that provide balance, body-position, sound and touch input to help organize the sensory system. A review by Polatajko and Cantin found that many types of occupational and sensorimotor therapies showed improvement, though results were mixed. The most success came from sensorimotor exercises that combined sensory input with whole-body movement, which engages the brain’s movement and sensory processing areas at the same time (6).
Another review, by May-Benson and Koomar, found that the sensory integration approach may lead to positive outcomes in sensorimotor skills and motor planning; social skills, attention and behavioral regulation; reading-related skills; and children’s individual goals (7).
More research is needed, but there are promising ways to support sensory processing, motor development and social interaction. Our approach begins with a thorough evaluation of the systems involved in sensory processing, including the vestibular, proprioceptive, auditory and touch systems.
Body awareness. Difficulty with body awareness is common in sensory processing challenges, along with problems involving hearing, balance and motion, planning, touch and vision (8). Research has found differences in how children with sensory processing difficulties process sensory feedback in the cerebellum, parietal lobe and prefrontal cortex (9). When body awareness is weak, children may rely more on vision, attention and memory to learn movements (8).
Vision and eye movements. Because these children often rely heavily on vision to know where their bodies are in space, problems with eye movements or visual processing can make symptoms worse. Busy visual environments can be especially overwhelming. Research suggests eye movement and visual training may help some of these children (10).
Primitive reflexes. Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that use sensory input to drive movement and help the developing brain build connections. They are normal in infants and usually fade during the first years of life. Some research has linked retained primitive reflexes to sensory processing difficulties (11). We check for retained primitive reflexes, and when we find them, we use specific exercises to help them fade, combined with targeted sensory activities.
Rhythm and timing. Coordination between the sensory and motor systems is often affected in sensory processing challenges, and motor timing, a key part of coordination, is frequently affected too. We use a computerized system called the Interactive Metronome to train rhythm and timing, which has been studied in children with sensory and attention difficulties (12). We pair this with the NeuroSensoryMotor Integrator system, with the goal of improving timing, motor control, sensory integration, attention and self-control.
Other therapies. Depending on your child’s needs, their program may also include vestibular rehabilitation exercises to improve balance and posture, which have been studied in children with autism (13); exercises in a virtual reality environment, which have been studied for supporting social interaction and thinking skills (14); low-level laser therapy, which one study found reduced irritability in children and adolescents with autism (15); and nutritional support, including probiotics (16).
Every NeuroRescue Program is different, with therapies chosen based on your child’s testing and needs. No two brains are alike, and no two programs are either.
How the NeuroRescue Program Works
Your child’s NeuroRescue Program begins with their Discovery Day. We start with a detailed history and neurological exam, done at a pace that works for your child. We measure how their visual, vestibular and balance systems are working through computerized analysis of eye movements, inner ear reflexes and balance under different conditions.
Our testing includes videonystagmography and saccadometry to measure several types of eye movements, the video head impulse test to measure inner ear reflexes, and CAPS computerized posturography to assess balance under different sensory conditions. We also use NeuroSensoryMotor Integration testing to evaluate hand-eye coordination and cognition, and Virtualis testing to assess dynamic eye tracking and perception of vertical in a virtual reality environment.
We combine this with a thorough physical and neurological exam of your child’s sensory, motor, autonomic and cognitive systems. We also review any relevant lab work, imaging and prior testing, and integrate it with our findings.
Together, this helps us understand your child’s strengths, which systems are struggling, and how quickly they tire. We use that information to design a personal NeuroRescue Program, aimed at improving function and endurance in the systems that need support. Our testing also helps us decide when to push and when to let your child rest.
Our goal is to help your child feel more comfortable in their body and their surroundings, and more confident at home, at school and with friends.
Your Next Step
Sensory processing challenges can be hard on children and families, but there is real hope for improvement. To find out if the NeuroRescue Program is right for your child, contact one of our patient care coordinators to schedule a Discovery Day.
It’s never too late to take the next step.
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