Since the '70s, there was already talk of the neurological processes that organize the sensations of the body with its environment, whic...
Sensory processing disorder arises when the sensations coming from the body and the environment are not organized, in such a way that a very wide range of difficulties is manifested when processing information through our senses. For example, pain when cutting nails or brushing hair, not knowing or feeling how much pressure we should apply to grab an object, measuring the distance between one object and another by sight, or pain when wearing certain seemingly normal fabrics for others.
Can you imagine feeling pain in your body when brushing against a flower or cotton?
Well, that's how complex it is to live with this disorder that arises or appears in early childhood, and that often takes time to diagnose because parents believe that the child is delicate or shrill, or simply that he complains about everything because he doesn't want to do something.
The symptoms can vary a lot from person to person and affect one or several senses and the most important feature is that it begins to affect the lives of those who suffer from it as well as those around them.
What should we observe in our children?
They are called hyperreactivity reactions, that is, overexaggerated reactions, for example, before:
noisy places
Many people or even a normal classroom of students
Feeling bad when someone touches them, refusing all physical contact including kisses, caresses, or the slightest touch
Tides, annoyance by light or colors, and darkness included
Dizziness, nausea, or great discomfort from odors that may be pleasant to most, or to one in particular
Rejection of constant noises, such as the hands of a clock or the beating of one's own heart
Not being able to sleep, sleeping poorly, or not being able to wake up easily
Constant pain or discomfort in the skin, clothes do not tolerate it
A lot of pain or no pain
Suck things, bite them, bite your nails without measuring the pain
Impulsiveness
From a very young age, other recurrent problems can also be noticed, such as:
Take a long time to crawl, walk, or even run
Jump on one or both feet
Trouble holding objects of any size or weight
Use of uncontrolled force for fine actions
Trouble writing, sitting properly, sitting cross-legged
not have balance
bad reflexes
And as a consequence of all this, problems with making friends or self-esteem are very common.
What can we do to help children with these difficulties?
In the vast majority of cases, parents become aware of this problem when the children already go to school and the teacher constantly gives them reports like these:
Can't sit still during the lesson or disrupts the class a lot
Seems to be distracted all the time
He does not respect the rules of the classroom, his classmates get angry but he does not seem to care
He doesn't have friends, he doesn't respect personal space and he doesn't understand the concept “it touches everyone”; he doesn't measure his strength, he really likes to spin or spin.
Likes high-risk or extreme activities
Can't hold a pencil properly, can't write, doesn't like to do written exercises
He goes out or cries when there is a meeting of many students, at recess he has cried because of the sun, the noise, a simple blow, or because someone touched him
Then, the first deductions are "he is hyperactive, he is very delicate or very sensitive"
If you already observe these characteristics and see that your child is sincerely suffering from his environment or is beginning to isolate himself, you should turn to a specialist. In this case, I recommend a general practitioner and a good psychologist or specialist in ADHD and hypersensitivity disorders.
As you will see, it is a complex disorder to distinguish, easy to confuse, and complex to cope with.
Normally, towards the end of adolescence some symptoms decrease in intensity, the use of some medications, supportive therapy, and the understanding of teachers and peers, makes their lives improve. As they grow older, people become more aware of their feelings and do what is necessary to adapt to their social group, sometimes the disorder is almost imperceptible because of how much they can keep it in control. In others, it is learning to live with this condition.
What is very true is that during adolescence they must be closely monitored and accompanied, as there may be some emotional crises due to recognizing themselves as different from the rest, not fitting into the social group, or falling into depression.
The presence of parents, the understanding of their circle of friends and teachers is fundamental. In fact, much of the support and acceptance of everyone is required to be tolerant and patient with the adjustments that are required in order to feel better.
As for which?
For example, the use of hearing aids at certain times, dark glasses at many times, clothes inside out, or only of a certain material, not participating in certain activities, such as a place where there will be a lot of people or pyrotechnics, music at a very high volume or not shake hands and kiss anyone.
If we all cooperate and have the will to understand, we will see that we can make a space in the world for anyone. Being respectful, tolerant and even understanding makes a difference in personal relationships, school performance, and life itself.
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