John is attending OT (occupational therapy) two times a week right now at Casa Colina Rehabilitation Hospital. The therapists working with him are working with a SI (Sensory Integration) approach. To understand this a bit more, I thought I would define SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), the treatment, and how it all affects behavior, emotions, social skills, and motor skills.
What is SPD?
First, to understand SPD, we need to look at what Sensory Processing (sometimes called Sensory Integration) is all about. According to the Sensory Processing Foundation, sensory processing is our nervous systems way of receiving messages from the senses and turning them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. If you touch something that is too hot, your nervous system interprets that touch and you react accordingly, realizing it is too hot. If you hear something that is too soft, you are able to react by turning the volume up because the nervous system interpreted the sense of hearing and sent the message that the volume was too low.
SPD, or sensory processing disorder, is when the signals do not get interpreted correctly and therefore, responses are not organized appropriately. The brain receives the sensory information incorrectly and inappropriate responses in behavior, emotions, motor planning, social skills, etc.
Some people with SPD may over-react to one of their senses, while others under-react. Some people are bothered by textures, tags on their clothing, certain foods, loud noises, bright lights, etc. Some people with SPD have poor posture, low motor planning, low muscle tone, appear klutzy, etc. Others crave sensations in what appears to be "overdrive", where they can't seem to get enough of a particular texture, swinging on a swing, spinning in circles, etc.
MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPD GET MISDIAGNOSED FOR OTHER PROBLEMS BECAUSE THE BEHAVIORAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL, MOTOR PLANNING, ETC. ARE AFFECTED AND CAN APPEAR AS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
There have often been times throughout our journey where I have wondered if the "at risk" for autism diganosis or the PDD-NOS diagnosis for John was really just SPD. Children on the Autistic Spectrum have Sensory Processing problems, so oftentimes, both SPD and an Autistic disorder are present. I hit a point a long time ago where the actual label didn't matter to me anymore. I know what John's current needs are and I'm addressing those as they come up. About 3 months ago, it was obvious that he needed OT above all other help.
OT with an SI (sensory Integration) approach is when an occupational therapist works with the child in a "sensory rich" environment in an OT gym. The therapist will guide the child through play activities that challenges the child in areas where he/she need improvement. For John, they are currently working on fine motor skills (buttoning buttons, writing, hand games), motor planning (using yoga positions to challenge him to manipulate his body to match a photo and hold position without falling, using obstacle course where he crawls through tunnels, climbs over obstacles, hits a baseball, kicks a soccer ball, bounces on a trampoline, jumps in a ball pit, swings on a trapeze bar, etc), stengthening posture by having him use his upper body more (this week they had him lying on his stomach on a skateboard and had to use his hands, arms, and upper body to move the skateboard through the bases of baseball).
John has a problem with organization in his brain. There are days where he becomes over-stimulated through the day and can no longer organize his body, his responses, etc. There are times you will see him slumped over in a chair---standing facing the chair, with his head in the chair--- constantly moving to get comfortable or he might appear "tired" where he wants to be carried and slumps over ones shoulder like a young infant. He sometimes throws his head back and shakes his head so his eyes move back and forth. These are all signs that his brain is "disorganized" and he can't appropriately focus or react to what is going on around him. Occupational Therapy teaches him how to regulate himself when he gets that way, as well as helps him learn everyday activities through play therapy.
No comments:
Post a Comment