What Are The Signs of Sensory Processing Disorder?

Have you wanted to know what the signs of Sensory Processing Disorder are?

Have you ever wondered if your child has Sensory Processing Disorder?

Or perhaps it seems your child is hypersensitive to the stimuli around him? 

There are lots of red flags for SPD, depending on if your child is hyper sensitive or hypo sensitive.

But the overarching tell-tale sign is a child’s overreaction and under-reaction to the environment around us.

Be sure to learn more about Sensory Processing Disorder and my parenting tips on how to support your child with sensory challenges.

What Are the Signs of Sensory Processing Disorder? | Mommy Evolution

My first son was born screaming and didn’t stop for a year. The meltdowns (well beyond toddler tantrums) were excruciating.

He has Sensory Processing Disorder and is hypersensitive to many things around him.

My second son, who was about as chill as an infant could be turned out to be hypo sensitive to his environment and the signals his body was giving him.

Our guest blogger Meagan from Integrated Learning Strategies is sharing her personal experiences and professional knowledge today about what the signs of Sensory Processing Disorder are.

Why Does My Child React Like This?

I’m sure we’ve all had to spend far more time quelling temper tantrums or trying to subdue unruly behavior than we ever wanted to.

But some parents deal with a level of tantrums and behavior that leave them feeling overwhelmed and defeated.

It’s easy to tell there is something wrong, but it seems impossible to find a solution that makes anything better.

I can’t count the number of mornings I spent getting into it with my preschooler. We were constantly late and sometimes missed school completely.

She would scream until her face turned a nice shade of mottled red and flail around on the floor. Why? It had to be something terrible, right? Well, not exactly. Clothes.

That’s right.

Clothes.

I could lay out her entire wardrobe and there was something wrong with every last piece of clothing she owned.

Those ones are itchy.

The sleeves are too tight.

The straps hurt my shoulders.

This one just feels funny.

The girl would have loved nothing more than to run around in her daddy’s t-shirts all day.

It sounds silly and I heard all kinds of responses.

“Oh, she’s just a kid.” Or “Well, I don’t like uncomfortable clothes either.”

To which I responded, “Have you ever seen a kid scream so much they literally foamed at the mouth?”

I usually would have agreed that maybe she just had anger issues, but like I said before, it posed serious problems when we needed to be anywhere and no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get a handle on it.

What is Sensory Processing Disorder?

Signs of SPD in Children | Mommy Evolution

So what is it? The short answer is Sensory Processing Disorder.

But to understand what turns our sweet little ones upside down and inside out, we have to take a look at their nervous systems.

Everyday we are all bombarded with sensory information.

We experience the sensations of our clothes against our skin; a pencil in our hand; adjustments to sunlight; the sounds of talking, cars, dogs barking, TV, and even the background noise of all the nifty little gadgets we fill our homes with to heat, wash, and clean.

Most of us take this in stride. Our brains take in all the information, sort it, and give us the proper way to respond.

This all happens without us being any the wiser.

For children and even adults that suffer from Sensory Processing challenges, all of this information travels to the brain and gets snarled into a messy traffic jam.

I’m sure we can all relate to the frustrations that come with a traffic jam.

So this sensory information gets trapped, unsorted, or lost and the brain either fails to respond, fumbles out an ill-suited response, or we get a blow-up like my sweet little one with the clothes to release the overwhelming tension that builds up with the jumbled information.

What are the Signs of Sensory Processing Disorder?

Sensory Processing Disorder can manifest in many ways and in varying degrees of severity.

So here are some things to help you know if you’re dealing with sensory traffic jams.

Sensory Processing Disorder Can Affect All of the Senses | Mommy Evolution

Language

An early sign that things aren’t going according to plan is a delay in language development.

This can show in a child that knows what they want to say but can’t seem to make their mouths form the words or in a child with no hearing problems who doesn’t seem capable of listening. In both cases, whether on their way in or out, the words are lost in translation.

Coordination

Because their visual stimuli aren’t processing properly, it becomes challenging for their limbs to respond properly.

They may struggle with tasks like coloring in the lines, cutting accurately, putting together puzzles and many other tasks that require both fine and gross motor skills.

Touch

Children who struggle with touch can have reactions like I described with clothes as well as discomfort or anxiety with others touching or even being near them.

And that picky eater who refuses to eat everything because it feels weird? They fit in this category too.

It’s hard to swallow something when your brain can’t make heads or tails of the texture. These sensitivities can result in a lot of anxiety or aggression.

Lights and Sounds

Do fluctuations in lights and sounds or even persistence in one or the other cause a lot of stress or agitation?

These too can be signs of poor sensory integration. The exposure eventually elicits a response and if it’s not agitation, it’s distraction.

Other signs include difficulty tying shoes, holding onto writing utensils, writing without breaking the pencil lead, paying attention, and following multi-step instructions.

Many times bright children are diagnosed with hyperactivity disorders and learning impairments because their failure to process exhibits itself in unconventional behavior and makes learning in most environments impossible which can take long term tolls on their self-esteem and ability to succeed.

It may seem difficult to differentiate between challenges in Sensory Processing and other behavior and educational challenges, but with a well-trained eye, the symptoms are easy to spot.

Note from Jenny: Many of these mentioned issues reflect children who are hypersensitive. Other signs of Sensory Processing Disorder can also be children who seek out stimuli because their bodies aren’t reading the nervous system signals enough.

Examples include touching everything, having absolutely no sense of personal body space, walking into doorways (no sense of space) and needing to spin/swing/move in order to reset.

Read more of my posts touching on Sensory Processing Disorder here. And to learn more about sensory challenges or to join our inclusive community, visit The Sensory Spectrum.

About Meagan: Meagan is part of the team at Integrated Learning Strategies, a Utah-based center dedicated to helping mainstream children and children with learning disabilities achieve academic success.

Their services provide kids with non-traditional tutoring programs within the Davis County, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Farmington, and Centerville areas. 

16 Comments

  1. My daughter is one of those that is ALWAYS touching everything.
    I wish I had known about sensory issues when she was younger and squeezing out my lotion all the time and just touching everything around her. My son is a bit of the opposite, and actually the one that has been diagnosed.

    This was a great intro. to the world of SPD.

    1. We have opposites in our family, too. Although my first son we diagnosed and my second son was so polar opposite that we didn’t immediately understand he was having his own sensory reactions. It’s a learning process!

  2. Is it possible for a child to have overlapping symptoms of SPD and ADHD? My son was diagnosed with moderate/severe ADHD 2 years ago, but I don’t think they ever tested for SPD and I’m beginning to wonder, what with the no boundaries and touching EVERYTHING.

    1. It’s not uncommon for kids to have both… mine certainly does! Although we started with Sensory Processing Disorder and later uncovered that he has ADHD, too.

    2. Andy bradley says:

      Melinda,
      My child followed the same path as Jennifer. She had no boundaries as a toddler. People (big or small) had no personal space when she was around. She is now nearly 16 and is thriving in school, has loads of friends, is happy and is planning her future already. She works hard

      1. How hard is it to test an adult? I recognize these symptoms.

        1. It’s not hard at all… and as an adult self-reporting also makes it easier. It’s also not unusual for folks to not realize they have ADHD until they’re adults. Many kids just haven’t been diagnosed in the past.

  3. How can you assist your sensory child with reading. When they’re at a nearly 1st grade level when they’re in 3rd grade? I need help with this and getting him to try foods!

    1. Tami…. My son hit 2nd grade and wasn’t reading. I knew in my heart that there was something more going on and had him evaluated by a neuropsychologist…. turns out he has ADHD *and* Dyslexia. Once we knew that, we knew how to approach reading. He worked HARD last year and has caught up to the base level expected at 3rd grade.

      My personal recommendation would be to get your child evaluated so you know if you need to take a different approach to getting your kiddo the right kind of help and support.

  4. Your blog is excellent!!

    As a speech-language pathologist in practice for 30 years, I have met many children who appear to have sensory issues. Most parents are open to investigating other issues to make sure we are addressing all areas of concern so that the child can make maximum progress. Occasionally, there is a parent who resists the idea of another evaluation or the idea that there may be something else going on besides a communication problem.

    Any advice on how to help parents in this situation?

    1. You can’t force a parent to see something they don’t want to see. You can only talk about how they might be able to best serve their child and help the family as a whole.

  5. My son (turning two next month) hasn’t been officially diagnosed but his OT has confirmed she sees signs of SPD. He is in the early intervention program and has DT, ST as well as OT, each once a week. I got him evaluated once I noticed the delay in speech when we was 1.5 yrs old. A lot of this is very familiar. I love to read the comments about parents of older children whom have similar issues, it’s reassuring to know they are doing well! Thank you so much, I look forward to spending more time on this blog!

    1. So glad you found The Jenny Evolution! If you’re also new to sensory issues, be sure to check out The Sensory Spectrum as well 🙂

  6. Valerie Harris says:

    How and where to children get tested for this? What is the protocol? I work in a daycare setting and I see at least four kids a day with this. We have sometimes 20 children in the class at a time and I’m grappling with how to react to the four that don’t seem to have any self control. It can be so trying at times. The parents also are at loose ends at home and don’t know what to do anymore so they have given up on strategies at home besides repeating over and over again instructions.

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