What is SPD?
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), also known as Sensory Integration Disorder, is a condition that affects how your brain processes sensory information (stimuli).
We receive and perceive sensory input through sights, sounds, touch, tastes, smells, movement and balance, body position and muscle control.
Difficulty taking in or interpreting this input can impact:
- Learning
- Behaviours
- Social and family relationships, and engaging with others
- Regulating emotions
- Self-esteem
- Daily activities (including; play, sleep, feeding, personal care, motor development etc)
Through post graduate qualification with the Sensory Integration Network UK, our therapists are able to provide full assessments to give understanding to the child’s behaviours and validate the impact parents / carers and families experience every day (Bagby, Dickie and Baranek, 2012), within the home, school and community (Parham and Mailloux, 2015). Sensory Diets (personalised activity plans to give the ‘just right’ sensory stimulation) can then be introduced, alongside other strategies, to maximise the child’s ability to access daily activities. Therefore it is important to us that parents/ carers are involved in the assessment, exploring and learning alongside the therapist to embed changes in to the child’s daily life.
More information about SPD can be found at www.sensory-processing-disorder.com and www.sensoryintegration.org.uk