Sensory Processing Disorder

We have suspected for some time that some is just not quite right with Mr C. Although he is very talkative, social, and extremely smart (knows all his letters, numbers, shapes, colors, etc.). There has always been something about him that seemed very different from other children. Mostly with respect to his language skills and hyperactivity. I suppose that my experience with autism and ADHD has made me more aware of how a child should be developing, but with him I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was wrong for the longest time.


Experiencing this as a parent instead of a professional has given me a whole new perspective. For a long time I was going back and forth with, “Well, he seems okay.” to, “Boy it just seems like something is not right.” From the beginning he was always a difficult sleeper and he has always had this incredible amount of energy that still amazes me. This weekend we finally got the answers we were seeking.

I had been familiar with sensory processing disorder in children with autism, but did not entirely know the signs for it as an entity all by itself until I started doing research for my web site Child Behavior Guide. After recognizing many of the symptoms in Mr C and having him evaluated by an occupational therapist, we were able to determine that the differences I was seeing was in fact due to sensory processing difficulties.

Not that I would want him to have sensory processing issues, but what a relief to know that I was not imagining these things. You have some people telling you, “Oh he is fine. Stop worrying.” and then people, such as his preschool teacher saying, “I really think he is showing some autistic-like behaviors.” Of course the autistic-like behaviors she was seeing were merely the symptoms of sensory processing disorder that many children with autism also have.

So, we are going to start a program called the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol. It is very intense and requires sessions every 90 minutes – 2 hours for at least 7 days, so we are planning to start next week. The object is to help provide internal organization to his nervous system. The OT that recommended it said that she has noticed dramatic results in many children, including a child speaking in sentences after no talking at all! We will see!