Comments on: The Next ADHD? Sensory Processing Disorder

By: Nancy Peske

Nancy Peske — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:49:02 +0000

Sensory integration dysfunction, now mostly known as sensory processing disorder as a result of research by Lucy Jane Miller at the SPD Foundation, has been around since 1970 when it was first written about by occupational therapist A. Jean Ayres. It’s well known within the OT world and autism community. Most children with autism have SPD, 1 in 20 children overall have it, and it is commonly comorbid with ADHD and learning disabilities. Kids adopted from foreign orphanages, or who were premature babies or had many medical procedures as infant, are more prone to have SPD as are children who have SPD in the family tree.

The standard treatment for OT is SI therapy and a “sensory diet” of daily activities and accommodations carried out by the child, parent, and teacher.

By: ldb

ldb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:24:04 +0000

Sensory Processing Disorder is a fairly new diagnosis, but sensory processing issues have been studied for decades now. See Dr. Jane Ayres for instance. The real work being done on SPD is at the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation. They work with a variety of well known institutions like MIT and Yale- studying this disorder and sensory processing issues in general.

By: Holly

Holly — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:21:01 +0000

Before assuming SPD will become an epidemic you should meet a parent with a child who has it. I knew for a couple of years that something was off with my son. I could not get his pediatrician to listen. Finally he sent me to an OT and for the first time in my son’s life he is able to cope with alot of issues. I have learned that through his sensory diet that he can acheive things he could not before. Frankly the best thing about this disorder is that there are a lot of nonbelievers. The last thing these kids need is for drug companies to come up with a dangerous drug like they did for ADD and ADHD.

By: Ginkgo100

Ginkgo100 — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:45:33 +0000

My son was diagnosed by an OT with SPD when he was two years old. My view “from the trenches” (that is, as a mom looking for answers rather than as an academic) is that SPD is better known in early childhood intervention programs than in medical or psychiatric clinicians. It seems most research has been done by OTs and is somewhat insular to their field. I would be interested to see more academic studies published, including some longitudinal studies.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:09:32 +0000

This really isn’t new. Both my brother and I were diagnosed with this when we were pretty young. We did OT for awhile when we were younger and now He’s 18 I’m 20. Still sensory wierdness for both of us still but nothing that really matters (He’s really particular about socks he wears and I don’t drink soda because the carbonation hurts)

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:26:05 +0000

This isn’t a newly coined diagnosis. My son has sensory integration dysfunction (as well as ADD and depression), and in 2001 when he started kindergarten the school psychologist at our tiny rural school was already familiar with sensory integration dysfunction and its commonly accompanying conditions.

Treatment has been worthwhile. My son had weekly OT sessions at a special clinic in Denver for kids with sensory integration dysfunction when he was in preschool, but the most helpful intervention has been vision therapy (prescribed by a family eye doctor after to his third grade teacher noticed visual tracking problems when he read aloud). But the vision therapy did much more than help with reading. After a few months of vision therapy my klutzy boy could suddenly hit a baseball!

I think that the vision therapy stimulates the development of brain connections that don’t just happen automatically in some kids. It’s a real time commitment on the part of parents and child, but so worth it.

By: University Update - ADHD - The Next ADHD? Sensory Processing Disorder

University Update - ADHD - The Next ADHD? Sensory Processing Disorder — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:48:20 +0000

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