Sensory Modulation Disorder

Difficulty regulating responses to sensory input. To be labeled a disorder, must be severe enough to disrupt daily living.

Categories:

• Sensory Over-response: Responds too much, too frequently, or for too long to sensory input. In your child it may look like:

Upset by transitions & unexpected changes, irritable, unsocial, excessively cautious, impulsive, fight or flight response.

• Sensory Under-responsive: less sensitive to and less aware of sensory stimuli than most children. In your child, it may Look like:

Passive, quiet, withdrawn, easily tires, appears uninterested or unaware of environment, slow to respond to directions.

• Sensory Craving: seems to need much more sensory stimuli than other children. Must distinguish between ‘liking’ & ‘wanting’’. ‘Wanting is at the cognitive level with motivation to work toward a reward. ‘Liking’ feels pleasure from the stimulation, but the child never ‘fills up In your child, it may look like:

Needs more sensory input than others. On the go, likes crashing, bumping, and rough play, excessive spinning, rolling, or swinging, constantly touching objects. The child may seem intense, demanding, agitated.

Sensory Discrimination Disorder

The disrupted ability to process spatial, temporal, and amplitude aspects of sensation. In your child, it may look like:

• Difficulty determining differences in sensory input.
• Difficulty making sense of input.
• Problems with getting started on tasks.
• Difficulty with mental or behavioral shifts Impulsivity.
• Poor self-awareness.
• Difficulty sustaining goal directed behavior.

Sensory Based Motor Disorder

The disrupted ability to conceive of, plan, and execute motor sequences & actions. In your child, it may look like:

• Difficulty planning in future time & space.
• Lack ideas for how to use objects.
• Lack ability to sequence action.
• Lack ability to use feedback. mechanisms to adjust performance
• Child may prefer talking to doing.
• Prefer fantasy games.
• Prefer sedentary activities.
• Easily frustrated while completing a task.
• Emotional dysregulation.