Sensory Processing Disorders can be so confusing to parents as well as the child. Sometimes they can be very obvious such as when a child frequently covers their ears with their hands or refuses to eat certain textured food. Other times, it may not be as obvious to a caregiver because they see meltdowns, refusals, and tantrums that seemingly come out of nowhere and may seek out an evaluation for behavioral issues first.

To make SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) more confusing, children can experience as either hyper-sensitivity (over-responsiveness) or hypo-sensitivity (under-responsiveness) to sensory stimuli. This is also called “sensory-seeking” and “sensory-avoiding”. These sensitivities can reduce a child’s desire for ordinary social interactions, learning, and other regular activities that help a child develop their social-emotional well-being. This is why it’s so important to understand and manage sensory sensitivities.