My Child Is A Real Handful. How Do I Know If It's Behavioural or Underlying Sensory Issues?
Behavioural problems in children are relatively common. But, have you ever wondered if it’s truly a behaviour issue, or if it’s an underlying sensory issue going on? Many times, it’s hard to tell if your child’s behaviour is intentional or if it’s due to uncontrollable sensory behaviour challenges. A common misconception amongst parents is that when their child is a real handful, the child may most likely have ADHD or have character issues. What parents may not be aware of is that their child’s behaviour could be associated with Sensory Processing Disorder(SPD), which will be further elaborated on later. Identifying whether it’s a sensory or behaviour issue is extremely complicated and cannot be concluded based on just a few signs and symptoms. As such, it’s important that you should leave it to the professionals. First and foremost, here’s an introduction to SPD.
What’s Sensory Processing Disorder?
Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD is a neurological disorder in which the sensory information that the individual perceives results in abnormal responses. All of us depend on adequate sensory processing functioning to carry out daily tasks in work, play and self-maintenance. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) may affect our functioning abilities, but may also be so minor that they go unnoticed. Particularly in young children, parents may easily categorise their behaviours to traits like stubbornness, laziness, being spoilt or headstrong, to name a few.
People affected by SPD may misinterpret sensory information such as sound and touch. They may feel overwhelmed with information. They may be unknowing of the sensations that others feel, and may sometimes seek intense experiences themselves. They may also have delayed motor skills and sensory-motor deficits such as awkwardness or clumsiness.
Under Sensory Processing Disorder, there are 3 major patterns: Sensory Threshold, Sensor-Motor and 8 Sensory Systems. The symptoms of SPD vary greatly depending upon the specific sense that is affected, how it is affected, and how serious the condition is. Symptoms and behaviours vary depending on each of the 13 subtypes.
SPD may occur in any of the 8 sensory systems, and symptoms can vary depending on the subtypes involved. SPD may affect the person in 1 to 8 sensory systems, and up to 6 subtypes concurrently. There can be more than 260,000 different patterns of expressions of SPD, and that is why it is so difficult to understand and diagnose! Each person must be individually assessed and treatment must be tailored to their specific needs! 2 children with SPD can actually receive different treatment and be handled very differently.
For better understanding, here’s a Sensory System table to illustrate common behavioural examples of people suffering from SPD:
Under Sensory Threshold, we have also included a summarised table for easier understanding. Any further queries would be explained by our centre’s director-cum-consultant during your free consultation!
At the same time, we need to understand that everyone has a sensory profile. For some people, even though they are typical (normal), they can also have a sensory profiling of either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity. It isn’t just limited to kids with SPD but can also be found in typical kids and adults too. Hypersensitivity is characterised by discomfort when experiencing minor encounters with environmental stimuli. A person with hypersensitivity may smell scents others cannot detect, get distracted by common sounds, such as thunder, vacuum cleaner buzzing, or avoid exploring playground equipment in fear of different movements.
On the other hand, people who are hyposensitive receive too little information, so the brain struggles to make sense of what little information there is.
Both types of children can be considered normal and they are further grouped into the two categories below:
Typical - Struggle with specific skills that may not affect functionality and can be compensated through other means. Eg. One maybe auditorily weaker but can be compensated with a stronger visual ability for functionalities such as social skills.
Atypical - Functionality gets affected such as social skills or being overly emotional in school or at work. That's when issues arise.
As you can see, it’s difficult to pinpoint the real issue. However, here are some tips from our director-cum- consultant to help you determine if it’s a behavioural or underlying sensory issue. If you’ve implemented these tips for a period of time with no improvement, there may be an underlying sensory issue.
PROFESSIONAL TIPS
1) Set expectations and assess if your child is able to achieve them. Then, monitor and assess if your child is genuinely or intentionally struggling. If it’s intentional, assess the reason for his or her intention.
2) Be more sensitive to your child’s needs. Pay more attention to how your child feels and sense any changes in emotions.
3) Show more affection and maintain a close relationship with your child For eg. have daily dialogues on the happenings in school.
4) Encourage appropriate outdoor movement stimulation. Do not overdo it if your child develops fear or rejection. If your child craves for it, limit the exposure but do not let them go too wild.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s best to have a professional assess your child’s behaviours before concluding if they have behavioural or underlying sensory issues. With therapy, it can improve your child’s functionality and help them to excel in life. Contact us for a FREE consultation now!