The Side Effects of Sensory Processing Difficulties
Written By: Angie Voss, OTR
The Most Common Side Effect: ANXIETY
Three reasons why anxiety is almost always a factor, especially for those who over-register and demonstrate sensory sensitivities and sensory defensiveness:
Three reasons why anxiety is almost always a factor, especially for those who over-register and demonstrate sensory sensitivities and sensory defensiveness:
- The brain switches to the sympathetic nervous system at a greater frequency than a neurotypical brain for NO EXPLAINED reason, so therefore the brain will naturally feel "anxious" when it switches to fight or flight all of the time. And the cumulative result of this releases more and more of the stress hormones throughout the body.
- Wouldn't you be anxious if at any given moment you had no idea how something was going to feel? Wondering if a sound, or touch, or movement, etc was going to be accepted and pleasant...or hurt or cause nausea or make your heart race and hands sweat? What a scary feeling to have something be fun and pleasant one minute (for example swinging at the park) and the next moment for it to cause extreme nausea and a fever. This is where sensory modulation comes in to play.
- When a child is over-responding (sensory defensive) all of the time to one or more types of sensory input, anxiety is sure to be present...think of touch...when light touch feels like you are being given a shot, wouldn't you be anxious to be around a bunch of people accidentally brushing against you? What about circle time, or standing in line, or a trip to the park...and then add in possible auditory sensitivity or olfactory sensitivity. Anxiety is a side effect, and a big one at that.
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Over the years as a therapist I have worked with many kiddos with multiple diagnoses under their little belts. Over time as I learned more and more about sensory processing difficulties and understood each individual child and their own unique sensory story...I started to see a pattern...many or most of these children also had a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD, OCD, and/or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
In my professional opinion and many colleagues agree, these other diagnoses are often just the symptoms, and as I like to call the "side effects". I realize in our society that a recognized diagnosis is often necessary for insurance reimbursement and to qualify for services through the state and to access services through the schools. BUT, when we put this part aside...I think it is detrimental as well as overwhelming for a parent and the child to carry the burden of all of these labels. It is unnecessary and often causes pre-judgement and people jumping to conclusion especially in the school system. Not only that, the pushing of medication to address the diagnoses is just tragic in my eyes.
Here is my rationale and my professional opinion and explanation of these "side effects"....
Almost all children with sensory differences have difficulty with self-regulation and modulating (processing) the ever changing sensory input coming into the brain on a constant basis. This can be very unpredictable, scary, painful, and uncomfortable for the child. So for starters, anxiety is almost always going to be a factor. It is a very reasonable symptom and a result of the difficulty in processing sensory information...wouldn't you be anxious if being touched or a loud unexpected sound or loud voice/laugh was painful and caused a fight or flight reaction? I sure would be!!! This is what is happening for our children...and it creates a generalized anxiety response to their little world.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms are also quite common. The way I see this and correlate this to sensory challenges is via "sensory anchors". When a child is dysregulated and feeling disorganized, sensory anchors are used to help the brain feel good and feel a sense of control. This is when you will typically see OCD symptoms at their finest. So a child will do something that feels good to the nervous system such as lining up toys or counting things out in repetition because their little world is so unpredictable and they do not feel in control of their body or brain, and especially the environment...so they do something they CAN control.
And ADD/ADHD is probably the most misdiagnosed, over diagnosed, and medicated diagnosis out there. The components of ADD/ADHD go hand in hand with sensory processing disorder. If a child's brain is unable to sort out irrelevant sensory stimuli then OF COURSE they will be easily distracted and have trouble attending! And...if the child's brain is under registering sensory input and not getting the necessary and proper sensory nutrition in which the brain needs to attend and maintain a ready state for learning, behavior, and social skills...OF COURSE they will also be so called "hyperactive"! They are trying to get sensory input on a constant basis!
Please respect these side effects/symptoms and address them via sensory integration. Find sensory tools and strategies that work for your child. It may be tools for defensiveness or a sensory retreat to help self-regulate. Living a sensory life and applying sensory strategies in the home is critical for success. Here is a list of essential tools to get you started.
It is necessary to address the root of the problem which is most likely an over or under-registration of sensory input and when you get to the root of the problem and address the foundation of sensory development...the rest just falls into place!
In my professional opinion and many colleagues agree, these other diagnoses are often just the symptoms, and as I like to call the "side effects". I realize in our society that a recognized diagnosis is often necessary for insurance reimbursement and to qualify for services through the state and to access services through the schools. BUT, when we put this part aside...I think it is detrimental as well as overwhelming for a parent and the child to carry the burden of all of these labels. It is unnecessary and often causes pre-judgement and people jumping to conclusion especially in the school system. Not only that, the pushing of medication to address the diagnoses is just tragic in my eyes.
Here is my rationale and my professional opinion and explanation of these "side effects"....
Almost all children with sensory differences have difficulty with self-regulation and modulating (processing) the ever changing sensory input coming into the brain on a constant basis. This can be very unpredictable, scary, painful, and uncomfortable for the child. So for starters, anxiety is almost always going to be a factor. It is a very reasonable symptom and a result of the difficulty in processing sensory information...wouldn't you be anxious if being touched or a loud unexpected sound or loud voice/laugh was painful and caused a fight or flight reaction? I sure would be!!! This is what is happening for our children...and it creates a generalized anxiety response to their little world.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms are also quite common. The way I see this and correlate this to sensory challenges is via "sensory anchors". When a child is dysregulated and feeling disorganized, sensory anchors are used to help the brain feel good and feel a sense of control. This is when you will typically see OCD symptoms at their finest. So a child will do something that feels good to the nervous system such as lining up toys or counting things out in repetition because their little world is so unpredictable and they do not feel in control of their body or brain, and especially the environment...so they do something they CAN control.
And ADD/ADHD is probably the most misdiagnosed, over diagnosed, and medicated diagnosis out there. The components of ADD/ADHD go hand in hand with sensory processing disorder. If a child's brain is unable to sort out irrelevant sensory stimuli then OF COURSE they will be easily distracted and have trouble attending! And...if the child's brain is under registering sensory input and not getting the necessary and proper sensory nutrition in which the brain needs to attend and maintain a ready state for learning, behavior, and social skills...OF COURSE they will also be so called "hyperactive"! They are trying to get sensory input on a constant basis!
Please respect these side effects/symptoms and address them via sensory integration. Find sensory tools and strategies that work for your child. It may be tools for defensiveness or a sensory retreat to help self-regulate. Living a sensory life and applying sensory strategies in the home is critical for success. Here is a list of essential tools to get you started.
It is necessary to address the root of the problem which is most likely an over or under-registration of sensory input and when you get to the root of the problem and address the foundation of sensory development...the rest just falls into place!