What Are Sensory Issues? Does My Child Have Sensory Processing Disorder?
By Ema Bartolo ·
Sensory issues represent atypical responses children exhibit to everyday sensations. Examples include mealtime struggles and food refusal, excessive activity at play areas, resistance to beach towels, and classroom attention difficulties. Parents and educators typically refer children to occupational therapy when they observe:
- Heightened reactions to sound, touch, clothing, and light, accompanied by irritability and mood changes
- Clumsiness and delayed achievement of developmental milestones like stair climbing, gripping writing instruments, or shoe-tying
These difficulties connect directly to Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a neurological dysfunction in which the brain has difficulty interpreting sensory information. SPD frequently co-occurs with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit conditions, learning disabilities, and developmental coordination disorder.
Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder
Dr. A. Jean Ayres, a pioneering occupational therapist and educational psychologist, extensively researched sensory processing difficulties. Contemporary neuroscience research demonstrates that these children behave in certain ways not for the sake of being difficult, but mostly because their neurological system is not interpreting information efficiently.
How SPD Presents
SPD presents three distinct patterns, each with unique signs and functional impacts:
- Sensory modulation disorder — difficulty regulating responses to sensory input (over-responsive, under-responsive, or sensory seeking)
- Sensory-based motor disorder — challenges with posture and motor planning related to sensory processing
- Sensory discrimination disorder — difficulty interpreting the specific qualities of sensory input
When to Seek Help
Diagnosis requires that sensory processing difficulties meaningfully affect daily functioning. Trained occupational therapists specializing in sensory integration conduct comprehensive evaluations and implement therapeutic interventions.
If you recognise these signs in your child, contact WonderKids on +356 77048650 or at info@wonderkids.mt for an assessment.