Raising a child with sensory processing disorder Southlake can be stressful and overwhelming. It is important to watch your child if they seem overly sensitive to touch, sounds or smell. If you are looking for a solution for your child’s abnormal behavior, the team at PediaPlex should be your ultimate choice.
What is a sensory processing disorder?
The sensory regulation disorder, also known as sensory processing disorder, is a medical condition that interferes with the ability of your body to receive information from your senses. People with sensory processing disorders are extremely sensitive to specific food textures, smells, touch, and noises. Regular sounds may be excruciating, and a light touch of a foreign shirt may chafe your skin.
The disorder can interfere with your mental health, coordination, behavior, and communication. People with the sensory regulation disorder can be hard to strike a conversation with, and they may bump into things often. This disorder usually manifests in children, but adults can also develop it. The underlying cause of sensory processing disorder is still unknown, but environmental and genetic factors can contribute to its development.
What symptoms indicate that you have sensory processing disorder?
This disturbing disorder can affect one or multiple senses such as taste, hearing, and touch. Your child may be under or over-responsive to the environmental factors they find disturbing. A major sign that your child has a sensory processing disorder is that the sound of a leaf blower may cause them to hide under a table or vomit uncontrollably.
They may also react violently to gentle touch or textures of specific foods. Some children may fail to respond to environmental factors such as extreme cold or hot or pain.
Fussiness as babies and anxiety when growing up are some of the warning signs of sensory processing disorder. Your child may also have trouble making friends, staying or falling asleep, passive or aggressive behavior, and difficulty eating. If not treated, the sensory regulation disorder can result in academic, emotional, or social problems, which may be difficult to rectify once the child has grown up. Early detection helps in treatment and nurturing your child to help them have a normal and fulfilling life.
How can you know if sensory disorder therapy is effective?
The skilled physicians meticulously examine your child to determine the severity of the disorder. The medical examination may involve non-standardized and standardized sensory processing disorder testing, interviews with you as the parent, and clinical observation. Your child’s physician evaluates their body movement awareness, ability to handle specific activities, and touch response. This assessment allows your child’s therapist to create an individualized treatment plan that addresses your child’s unique needs.
The main focus of PediaPlex is to challenge your child in a playful and fun way to function and respond appropriately to stimuli. Your doctor may recommend one of the therapies, the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relation-based (DIR) model. The therapy involves play sessions with the parent and the child where the parent follows the child’s lead. These sessions enable you to enter your child’s mind and understand their behavior.
Call the Pediaplex office or book an appointment online for more information about sensory processing disorder.
