Recognizing sensory processing disorder: when the brain misinterprets information & bull; hello healthy

The human brain works by receiving and interpreting information received by the nervous system such as sound, light, touch, or movement. This interpretation is important for someone to learn something. But what if a person's brain misinterprets the information received? This is known as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) which is a thought process disorder and can be experienced by both children and adults.

What is that sensory processing disorder ?

SPD is a complex neurological condition because the brain has difficulty receiving and responding to information received by the nervous system. SPD can also cause a person's brain to misinterpret information or what is going on.

Someone who has SPD tends to be too sensitive or less sensitive to something that is happening around them so that they can tend to be more emotional or not aware of the dangers that are around them.

As with mental health disorders in general, the severity of SPD experienced by individuals can vary. The condition of SPD is usually recognized during development in childhood and can persist into adulthood. SPD is usually recognized together or as a symptom of a mental disorder such as autism. Until now, SPD was not considered a separate mental health disorder and thus had no specific diagnostic criteria.

In addition, it is not known exactly what causes SPD in a person. Genetic factors are suspected as the main cause or determinant of how a person responds and processes the information he receives. Abnormal brain activity is also thought to be the cause of differences in the process of responding to stimuli in individuals with SPD.

Sign if someone is experiencing sensory processing disorder

SPD conditions can be experienced by one or more specific senses such as hearing, touch or taste. The type of disturbance can be too sensitive (hypersensitive) or less sensitive (hyposensitive) to the surrounding environment.

Some examples of symptoms of SPD hypersensitivity is

• Giving extreme responses such as being too afraid of certain sounds that usually do not have a certain effect on others.
• Easily hear or get distracted by background noises or voices that usually cannot be heard by other people.
• Fear of touch, avoids physical contact even with people he knows.
• Fear of crowds or standing too close to other people.
• Avoid activities that require lifting your feet off the floor or ground for fear of falling.
• Having a poor balance so he often falls.

While the symptoms of SPD hyposensitive is

• Has an unusual tolerance for pain.
• Lack of control over movement or strength.
• Cannot sit still and is very fond of games that involve a lot of movement.
• Tends to be challenging but can endanger him.
• Have the urge to always touch or play an object.
• Not able to maintain distance or " personal space " with other people.

Problems a person may experience with sensory processing disorder

In addition to causing an unusual response to something, SPD tends to cause a person to experience several things, including:

• Difficulty accepting changes and difficulty concentrating because it is difficult to adapt to their surroundings so that they need more time to concentrate on an activity.
• Impaired social skills due to anxiety or being easily distracted by the presence of other people.
• Impaired motor skills because they are less sensitive to the surrounding environment and even their own body movements.
• Disturbance to control the response to the stimulus they receive and it causes them to be difficult to control their own behavior.

Mental health conditions related to sensory processing disorder

There are two mental health disorders associated with SPD, including Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism. Impaired processing of certain stimuli or information similar to SPD is a symptom of ADHD and occurs in people with autism. However, someone with SPD does not necessarily have ADHD or autism.

What can be done?

There is no method that can be used to solve SPD as a whole, but there are efforts that can help someone with SPD adapt better, one of which is occupational therapy (occupational therapy). You can also help a family member or child with suspected SPD by creating a home environment that is safe from anxiety triggers or unwanted actions such as removing noise or other objects that could be harmful.