Kal-el's World and SPD

I've mentioned Sensory Processing Disorder a few times and if, like me until very recently, you don't really understand what that is then I'm hoping this post will help you to have some understanding particularly in relation to Kal-el and his specific experiences. Let me clarify that at present Kal-el has had no diagnosis with SPD or anything else that relates, however, after attending an information session provided by Early Intervention, I can see that my little superhero definitely has processing difficulties with some of his senses.

So we all know about our 5 main senses; taste, touch, hearing, sight and smell. But we also have 2 other senses; proprioception and vestibular. These 7 senses are what help us all to make sense of the world around us. For most of us these senses work well and send signals to our brain constantly to let us know about our surroundings. For some of us though the signals from our senses don't communicate with our brain how they should and we are unable to have a correct understanding of our surroundings. For those who have SPD they could have a miscommunication from all or just some of their 7 senses. It is important also to know that those with SPD can either be under-stimulated or over-stimulated and that someone can be over-stimulated by one of their senses and under-stimulated by another. Let's look at what I mean.

TASTE and SMELL

These 2 senses are very closely related and together tell us about the foods that we like or dislike eating and also help warn us if a food is unsafe to eat. If you are under-stimulated you may not be able to smell food that has an "off" scent such as meat that is past it's date because the scents are too subtle. If you are over-stimulated then even the most subtle scent could actually turn you off food. Sometimes it is just the aroma from non-food items that can make you feel physically sick. Bleach, a scented candle, air freshener etc. may have such a strong odour to someone with SPD that they just cannot tolerate it. We know that scents can affect our brain and emotions and we call it aromatherapy. Lavender can make us feel relaxed. Citrus can make us feel refreshed. So an over-stimulation of scents can definitely have an affect on the emotions of a child. I don't see any evidence that Kal-el has issues with his sense of taste or smell.

TOUCH

We all rely on our skin to transmit the sense of touch to the brain. Our skin is what tells us if something is dangerous or safe to touch. The touch of a sharp pin will tell you that it is a dangerous object. A soft cushion will tell you it's safe. A hot cup is dangerous. A warm towel is safe. Seems simple doesn't it? So what happens if your brain is not receiving the correct signals? Imagine if you get up tomorrow morning and the first thing you do is to put on a pair of gardening gloves. Gardening gloves are made from thick material to protect your hands from weed and thorns. If you put these gloves on you will lose the sensitivity in your fingers. Imagine trying to get dressed, trying to close a button on your shirt, trying to tie your laces, wash your face, take a teabag out of the canister to make yourself a cuppa. Imagine trying to write with a pen or turn the page of a book or pick a coin up from the floor. It would be a very difficult day. Well that's how it would feel for somebody who is under-sensitive to touch. Or imagine how it would feel if every light touch that you felt incorrectly told your brain that it was dangerous! A label on your t-shirt, a waistband on your trousers, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, a hand on your shoulder. Your body would just want to escape these feelings simply because your brain is mistaking them for warning signals. That can be over-sensitivity for many children. Kal-el doesn't seem to have any issues with his sense of touch but he does enjoy deep pressure such as "squishy squashy hugs".

HEARING

Now this is definitely a sensory issue for Kal-el. A child that cannot process sounds normally can have a lot of difficulty with their speech because it can be difficult to recognise the different sounds between letters and words and particularly if there are other sounds and noises in the background. Quite often what we refer to as background noise is actually picked up by those who have SPD as being as loud as, if not louder, than the sound of speech or music or whatever the main intended sound in a room is. When we hear an ambulance far away in the distance or maybe a vacuum cleaner on a different floor of the building we barely even notice it but that same noise could appear to be almost deafening to someone who's brain is not processing the sounds correctly. There are often times where Kal-el will show that he is not enjoying certain sounds. I have noticed that even a change in the tone of my voice can set him off. Reading a story or saying a nursery rhyme can trigger a negative reaction from him. He has learned to tolerate a lot of noises such as the public address system in a supermarket; before he would cover his ears and cry and ask to leave the supermarket but now he doesn't even notice it. Singing can sometimes annoy him, particularly if it is groups of voices like when he is in preschool and yet he may choose to sing himself and enjoy it. Certain toys that play songs and music may have one or two tunes that Kal-el likes but the rest may cause him to want to switch the toy off. Sometimes sounds can physically hurt someone who has SPD as the sound waves are processed.

SIGHT

Another way our brains receive information about the world around us, and one that Kal-el seems to have difficulty with, is through visual processing. If someone has difficulty with visual processing they may find lights are too bright, they may be easily distracted by other objects in the same room if they are over-sensitive. They may not be able to differentiate between letters and shapes that are similar in structure, it may be difficult for them to find an object in a room simply because they find it difficult to focus on one object when there are many visual distractions. I only realised that Kal-el may have issues processing visual information when I sat at the information session on SPD. I remembered that when we attended speech therapy, whenever Kal-el was asked a question or to complete a task, he would never look at the therapists. I have no doubt they concluded that he didn't make eye-contact as a rule but I knew that wasn't true. I realised after learning more about SPD that he was just distracted by all of the posters and charts on the walls of the room and by the full length mirror on the back of the door. There was too much information on the walls of the room for Kal-el to concentrate on the tasks he was being asked to complete. When Kal-el walks to pre-school, which is only at the end of our street, he spends all of his time looking around at the houses, the road, the sky. He notices details on the houses that I wouldn't even notice. He notices if the light on the doorbells is lit or not. Unfortunately, because he is so distracted by all that there is to see around him he can often trip and fall over because he is not watching where he is walking. The simplest movement of an object can become a fascination for seconds, minutes or hours.

PROPRIOCEPTION

This sense relates to our body movement and our body position. If you raise your arm into the air, your brain knows that your arm is in the air. If you start to wave your hand, without looking at it you will know that your hand is waving. So what happens when your brain isn't receiving the signals to give you this information correctly? It can lead to what we would refer to as clumsy and uncoordinated movements. The body may not know how to move to complete a task, how much pressure to apply when holding a cup or write with a pencil. A body movement that maybe we would make unconsciously such as climbing stairs would become a very conscious effort for somebody having difficulty with proprioceptive processing. One of the things we have been working on with Kal-el is walking up and down the stairs. Something that seems so simple is a huge struggle for him. With perseverance he has mastered it now but it is still a conscious effort that he has to concentrate on. You would notice with Kal-el that when he walks he doesn't bend his knees enough and his feet turn out. When he picks something off the floor it looks like it takes more effort than it should. This shows how he probably has issues with proprioception.

VESTIBULAR

This sense helps us to keep our balance. If we feel our bodies go off balance we instinctively try to adjust our weight and position to get balanced again. So somebody who is not processing vestibular information correctly may fall over frequently. They may crave to go on swings and roundabouts or they may fear them depending on whether they are over or under sensitive. They may love to be turned upside down or they may be terrified of it. They may never appear to get dizzy when they are spinning around or they could feel nauseous after riding a bike. I know that Kal-el loves to be turned upside down and he doesn't seem to ever get dizzy from spinning around and yet he is very cautious about getting on a bicycle or any moving toy. When he has braved the toy a few times then he seems to enjoy it. It is hard to tell if he is affected by a disorder with this sense, as it is with all of his senses, because he can't effectively communicate his feelings with me yet. It also doesn't help with diagnosis when he can be over-sensitive with some senses some of the time and under-sensitive with the same senses at other times. It all seems very complicated.

I'm sure as he spends more time with experts in the Early Intervention Team we will learn more and more about Kal-el's sensory processing system. It's concerning and yet intriguing to know that the world he lives in looks, sounds and feels different to the world that I live in. Sounds and sights that I enjoy are potentially upsetting for him, even physically painful. It is something I must always be mindful of and compassionate about. We may have to leave the birthday party, the play area, the coffee shop, the church service. It may seem incredibly inconvenient but I have to remember that just because I don't feel and see and hear the same way that my little superhero does, doesn't mean I should just ignore the fact that he may be suffering in a given situation just because of sensory overload. It is also encouraging to know that he can learn to tolerate and deal with sensory issues over time and that one day I WILL be able to read him a story or take a phone call without a meltdown! I just need to be patient.

I came across this video on youtube that may give us a glimpse into the world of sensory overload. Please take a moment to watch it. It may help you when you encounter people, particularly children, who live with sensory processing disorder. Thanks!