National Sensory Awareness Week October 25-31

Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SI), also known as Sensory Processing Disorder is a peculiar condition. Though SI has been among us for many years it has steadily gained attention and is only now being widely received. Last year Halloween was declared as the first national sensory awareness day. Success was so great an entire week is being dedicated this year.

Though everyone is familiar with the five senses, few are aware of the extraordinary impact they have on our lives. My awareness journey began when my son Colton, now 13, was diagnosed. As is the case with a great deal of sensory kids, Colton was born prematurely. He spent 28 days in the hospital after birth but once released stayed extremely healthy, showing no outward signs of what was happening within.

Colton had delayed development but no one was concerned because he was a preemie. Typically preemies develop slowly but eventually catch up to their full-term peers. Colton had an oddity about him, that when younger was viewed as strange but often humorous. He walked on his tip toes, pacing back and forth and often flapping his hands. He had an unsettling ability to see things in clouds, pictures and even grass and dirt patterns that appeared clear as a bell once he explained them. He showed a strong preference for small toys and carried them everywhere. He couldn't sleep with a pillowcase or sheets on his bed. A habit he's only now starting to overcome.

When he was four I set him on a swing and unwittingly set into motion a response I never dreamt. He began screaming and crying as if I were trying to kill him. He flailed his arms and legs out becoming extremely combative. It was a devastating scene that haunts me to this day. He refused to even sit in my lap and swing. The only use he had for his swing set was to take two small sticks and bang on the bottom of the slide. Actually, going down the slide was off limits as well.

After the swing set incident I sought help. I could no longer deny that my perfect child had some imperfect habits. He was placed in physical, occupational and speech therapy. Despite that it took months for him to be diagnosed. For various reasons occupational therapists seemed to drift in and out of his care. However, once he was seen by an OT with sensory training, she diagnosed him immediately. Though she tried her best to explain SI, her words were mainly lost on me. Nothing she said made sense and that in itself is the peculiarity of the condition.

The range for SI is great. It can mask itself as many different ailments and seemed to me, at the time, to be a term given when they couldn't locate any other. Since that time I've educated myself on the brain, the five senses and how it all comes together or in the case of the SI child, doesn't. It has been an enlightening and remarkable journey.

The brain is composed of millions of receptors and connectors. This makes it a hotbed of disconnections or short circuits. SI has absolutely no bearing on the intelligence level of a child. It is the intricate working of the brain and the messages it does or does not receive that is the focus. The human brain receives continual transmissions from the five senses even when we're unaware. For instance, when we go outdoors and the air brushes our skin, our brain doesn't focus in on it unless there are extreme temperatures involved. However, the sensory kid can think of nothing but the air on his skin. His brain zeroes in on it and can't let go. As a result, he may roam his world appearing as though he's in a fog. On the other end of the spectrum we find a SI child who appears to have an abnormally high level of pain tolerance. His sense of touch seems turned off completely.

Because the senses are involved Halloween can be especially difficult. Itchy costumes, high noise levels, and kids in constant motion are only a few of the things that make a joyous childhood event stressful, confusing and for some even painful. For these reasons and more October 25-31 has been designated as National Sensory Awareness Week. So, as you go about door to door this Halloween be particularly mindful of other children. When you see a child with unusual movements, habits or perhaps even behaving poorly, remember that sensory issues are on the inside rather than the outside. What may appear as an ill behaved child may actually be a child in need.