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 Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a condition in which the brain has difficulty receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses.  SPD may affect one sense or it may affect multiple senses. Children can be over- or under-responsive to the the sensory stimuli in their environment. 

The symptoms of sensory processing disorder exist on a spectrum.  Common sounds or tactile input may be painful or overwhelming and trigger fight/flight/freeze trauma responses.  Children with SPD may also appear to be uncoordinated, bump into things, unable to tell where their limbs are in space, have difficulty engaging in conversation or play.  

The vestibular system is responsible for compiling multi-sensory information (tactile, visual, auditory, proprioceptive) and integrate it in ways that help us coordinate our bodies to perform everyday tasks.  Children with hypersensitive vestibular systems often avoid movement because their brains have trouble sequencing the vestibular input messages they are receiving, making intense movement uncomfortable and disconcerting. Children with hyposensitivity vestibular systems are often associated with conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).   It’s been well-established that children with hearing deficits often experience vestibular dysfunction.

Motor planning is often referred to as praxis, but a more accurate definition of praxis is the organization of the self.  Difficulty with motor planning may be part of a larger problem with movement and coordination, such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), which is also sometimes referred to as dyspraxia. Kids who struggle with motor planning may take a long time to learn and complete physical tasks, like dressing, brushing teeth, and tying shoes.   Even if they’ve done a task before, it’s like they’re doing it for the first time.  Motor planning issues can also affect how kids do in school, since basic physical tasks can be hard for them.

 Emotional regulation refers to the ability to remain calm during emotional and stressful situations. Emotional regulation issues are often seen as ‘behavior problems’.  While all children have emotional outbursts and meltdowns, they occur more frequently and for longer periods of time in children with emotional regulation disorders as compared their peers.  They often become easily upset without a clear cause. 

 Fine motor delay is when a child is not able to use the small muscles in their hands, wrists, and fingers to hold, manipulate, and use objects as expected for their developmental level. Fine motor skills require eye-hand coordination - the ability to see something and respond with the right movements in the hands and fingers.   

Children rely on these skills to do key tasks in school and in everyday life, including many school-related tasks.

Visual processing disorder can cause issues with the way the brain processes visual information. There are many different types of processing disorder and many different symptoms, which can include trouble drawing or copying, inability to detect differences in shapes or letters, and letter reversals.

Visual processing disorders (VPDs) affect many students diagnosed with language-based learning disabilities.