Does the world around you ever seem a bit too overwhelming to deal with on a daily basis? Do certain stimuli or senses affect you more than others?
When I was a toddler, my parents always wondered why I would scream throughout the *ENTIRE* Fourth of July parade down on Martha’s Vineyard. I didn't have the words to describe what was upsetting me and as I grew up I never found them.
The list of things that would annoy me for no apparent reason grew exponentially as I got older and this began to interfere with my daily life. Still though, I was never given the resources to explore why I may feel this way. It wasn't until I stepped into the counseling center during the first week of college, that I was given the chance to explain what I was feeling in a place where I was listened to and asked questions, until I was given a diagnosis.
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD also known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction) by definition is when “sensory input is not adequately processed in order to provide appropriate responses to the demands of the environment” according to https://www.spdstar.org/basic/about-spd STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder. Basically, in laymen terms, people with SPD aren't able to process and respond to the world around them in an efficient manner.
Many times, SPD can be misdiagnosed as an anxiety disorder in children and young adults, as it was in my case. These two typically go hand in hand, as they both present very similarly. Many people with SPD, become very anxious in situations where there are too much stimuli. For me and many others, the reaction to this overstimulation is to retreat to a place where we find comfort. For some this includes crying, seeking isolation, or becoming aggressive.
In an academic situation, this can provide many issues for students dealing with SPD. Imagine having the seat you sit on feel like pins and needles against your skin. Or having the florescent lights above you interfere with your vision. This ultimately has an effect on academic performance for some students who are silently struggling to do their best without the ability to describe what is gong on.
While SPD may be something that is difficult to understand for those who don't struggle with it, there are easy signals that can be looked at and specific measures that can be taken to make the individual more comfortable with their surroundings. First of all, try to putting yourself in some one else’s shoes. Amplify all of the things around you ten fold. The traffic outside sounds as if it is driving through your room a mere foot away from you. The light from the sun or lamp is burning through your skin and eyes faster than a flame burning through a dry forest.
Many signs that people with SPD may show include not enjoying certain textures in regards to fabrics or foods, avoiding visual or auditory stimulation and having difficulty forming thoughts, words or sentences. While these signs are different for everyone, there is typically some form of these present. And when these signs are shown, it is important for those around the person with SPD to try to recognize what is going on for that person and address in a manner that seems appropriate.
For example, the fire alarm in our dorm building went off at 1:30am the other night. For me this is an overstimulating event because of the flashing lights and loud sounds that occur. In this situation, I tend to retreat. I won’t move because my sensory system is just so overwhelmed. I immediately curled into a ball under all of the covers of my bed and began to shake and cry. My roommate, instead of leaving the building as she was supposed to, was able to coax me out of bed and and downstairs by assuring me that the sound would get worse at first, and then better once outside.
Senses are something that we all have and no ones work the same. Some people are colorblind and their sense of sight is impaired. Some use hearing aids because their sense of hearing is less refined as others. For those with SPD, the everyday senses that are encountered are simply amplified causing distress. These people are in fact not any different from everyone else. It is these differences that make up a human race and give us each our individual, fun and unique characteristics.
