Traveling the Sensory Road

When I was a child, I was an observer. I would watch other kids play and make sure I knew what I was doing before I joined in. Sometimes I wouldn't join at all. My balance always seemed to be off, and I was the awkward, uncoordinated kid in all the games and on the playground. My body frustrated me because it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do.

When I was a teenager, I would run into things. Walls, desks, the edges of tables, and other people. My boyfriend (now husband) would make fun of me, until he saw the bruises on my shins. I still wasn't able to play sports, but had taken ballet since age three, and was able to dance. The rhythm of the music seemed to connect my brain to my body.

My second baby showed some of the same signs I did when it came to coordination. He had a very hard time walking down stairs and coordinating his body so that he could put one foot in front of the other. He needed a balance bike to learn to coordinate his movements enough to pedal. It took him a long time to walk.

These issues developed alongside his other health problems. He had the ear infection cycle, one after the other, when he was six months old. He developed food allergies at that young age, and we changed his diet when he was a year old. When he was two he started showing behavioral signs of autism.

I started down the research road to help him recover his health, which still wasn't where it was before six months, even with the elimination diet. We tried homeopathy, herbs, early intervention, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and a host of other medical and alternative treatments.

Then I found the book The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz, and as I was reading it, everything started to make sense. He had a whole host of sensory and motor planning issues, and so did I. His sensory problems didn't exactly mirror mine, but they were very similar. Motor planning issues happen when the brain's signals don't reach the body or are delayed.

The five senses are affected in sensory processing sensitivities, as well as the vestibular and proprioceptive systems. My son and I both have vestibular sensitivities. That means that our bodies don't always feel where they are in space in relation to the ground or to other people.

The vestibular system is governed by the fluids in the inner ear, that help us feel balanced. Kids with vestibular sensitivities can feel like their bodies are moving all the time, even when they are sitting still. Some kids with vestibular sensitivities need movement to help them feel calmer. 

Sensory sensitivities can make daily functioning and interacting with peers difficult. The presenting issue is usually behavior. All behavior is communication for kids, because they often don't have the words to express what they're feeling. Many times kids with sensory sensitivities are labeled stubborn or defiant, when they actually have issues with motor planning and aren't able to do what is asked of them.

When I looked at my son, I understood this. He seemed defiant and stubborn, but the truth was he had issues with transitions and new experiences. He was a very cautious child, and wanted to see how things worked before doing them. If he didn't, his senses would overtake him and he'd be overwhelmed with too much movement, or sound, or light.

Sensory sensitivities are difficult to diagnose because SPD isn't in the DSM-V, the manual for diagnoses for health care and mental health professionals. Kids don't have to be on the autism spectrum to have sensory sensitivities, but many kids who have a diagnosis also have sensory sensitivities. SPD can be difficult to treat and live with because sensitivities and behavioral reactions vary from day to day, based on how much sensory input the child has had.

Read on to Part 2...