Sensory Processing 5 Step Checklist

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Does Your Child Have Sensory Processing Disorder?

Have you ever had a hand or a foot “fall asleep?”

When this happens, your whole focus is on the sensation of your foot being asleep and how to make this feeling go away. Right?

Think of SPD as an attempt to reconnect your body to its feelings.

This is where an Occupational Therapist can help.

An Occupational Therapist can help diagnose and treat:

Over-sensitivity to stimulus:

Sounds
Lights
Taste
Touch
Itchy clothes
Poor Balance
Dislike Playgrounds

Under sensitivity to stimulus

Bumping, jumping or crashing into things
Spinning
Decreased sleep
engages with electronic games
Increased tolerance for pain

Adults with SPD often have had a lifetime of misunderstanding. They often are upset by:

loud music
strong scents
close contact with people
experience clumsiness
difficulty focusing
hard time reading
trouble sequencing

Who Diagnoses Sensory Processing Disorder?

Pediatrician (usually screens first)
Occupational Therapist
Neurologist
Psychologist

Testing

The first place to go for concerns about SPD is your child’s pediatrician. They will give you a checklist where you will choose the symptoms your child displays along with a severity rating.

You and the pediatrician will go through the list and check for physical reasons that might be causing the issues. If physical reasons are ruled out, you will be referred to an Occupational Therapist (OT) who will do an in depth assessment and create a treatment plan for your child.