by Terri Edinburgh

Created on: April 17, 2008

It is recess time for Mrs. Anderson's a.m. kindergarten class. She smiles as she observes her students. Enjoying the bright sunshine and the soft cool breeze they frolic, laugh, run and play; the noise level a tad bit high, yet not uncommon. But there are five students, two of whom are fully included special education students, who do not enjoy recess like the rest of their peers. Becky can be observed with her hands covering her ears. As the noise level escalates, so does her apparent agitation. Robert is seen standing in the shade where he has been since the beginning of recess. When he does step out to play, which is not for very long, he squints and shields his eyes from the sunlight. Andy wants to run and play, but his awkward gait and difficulty with going up and down the stairs of the playground equipment sidelines him to the sandbox. Elizabeth, on the other hand, does not like to move at all. Her movements are cautious and slow, very deliberate. And finally, we have Katie, who can be observed avoiding touching anything or anybody. Three of these five students appear normal and excel at school, and all five of these students share something that their peers do not share with them, too much sensory input.

"Too much sensory input" can be defined as the body's inability to use information received through the senses in order to function smoothly in daily life. Typically, a child is born with their sensory processing system intact, ready to take on the world. But a child born with a sensory processing problem is not; sensory information is sensed normally, but perceived abnormally. The information tends to be analyzed by the brain in an unusual way that may cause distress or confusion. It is a neurological disorder occurring in the nervous system. This disorder has taken on several names over the years; Sensory Integration (SI), Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SI Dysfunction), Dysfunction in Sensory Integration (DSI), and finally, in 2004, classified as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Having SPD does not imply brain damage or disease; it simply means that a child with SPD processes sensory information differently than the next child. SPD is a sensory disorder because it affects the five senses of tactile, visual, auditory, vestibular, and proprioceptive.

The tactile system involves the sense of touch. We need constant tactile stimulation to grow, develop, and function. We are always actively touching or passively being touched by something people, clothes,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>