October is Sensory Processing Awareness Month. For our family, it is a time to shine a light on what it means to have a child with increased sensory needs.
When my youngest turned three, I began creating a list of some concerns that had come up at home and daycare. While I expected motherhood to look different the second time, some comparisons just didn’t sit well. Unlike my daughter, my son seemed hypersensitive to certain fabrics, textures, and smells. He walked exclusively on his tip-toes and hated routine procedures like cutting his nails. Grasping tools like utensils or jumbo crayons caused extreme frustration, and he often went from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye. As his emotional outbursts became more frequent, I knew it was time to seek help.
Our pediatrician suggested we speak to an occupational therapist, who referred us to the team at Mini Minds. I was asked to complete a parent rating scale at the initial consult appointment. I remember filling out the form and crying. So many of the questions related to my son’s needs, and it felt refreshingly validating.
The evaluation results determined that my son fit the criteria for having sensory processing disorder, or SPD. While it’s not currently recognized as its own psychiatric disorder, SPD can be a symptom of other diagnoses like autism, ADHD, or OCD. Sensory processing delays occur when the brain cannot register senses and, therefore, fails to respond appropriately.
I knew occupational therapy would be beneficial in increasing my son’s grasp strength and fine motor control. Still, I was surprised to learn that it could also be used to help manage some of his sensitivities and emotional regulation needs. Through sensory integration therapy, our Mini Minds OT worked with us to create a tailored regimen that could be used across multiple settings. She emphasized the need for consistency and family cooperation. While hour-long therapy sessions would take place in a “sensory gym,” the work would need to continue daily in more typical environments.
During therapy, we were introduced to several new strategies, such as brushing, joint compressions, and deep-pressure massage. As these techniques were used, we watched our son calm almost instantaneously. It was like he just “melted,” and his often rigid body would ease. Our therapist explained that these methods helped balance our son’s sensory input, increasing his threshold for tolerating nonpreferred stimuli.
Fast forward two years, and we’ve been so pleased with our son’s progress. He is still sensitive to certain environments and experiences, but therapy techniques have helped him manage his responses in a much more appropriate way. Outbursts still occur, but my husband and I now understand the why and no longer feel hopeless about how to help. It’s been a journey, and learning to adapt to our son’s sensory needs will forever be part of our story.
